


A Spirit's Love

by black07angel



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Loke/Lucy - Freeform, Lucy moving on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 21:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11814987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black07angel/pseuds/black07angel
Summary: When Natsu breaks Lucy's heart, she finds comfort in her lion spirit. Slowly, but surely, she falls in love with him. See the challenges Loke undertakes to find a way for them to be together. In the end, they discover a long-forgotten story of how the Heartfilias gained their power over the stars.





	1. Stay

**Author's Note:**

> This was first posted in ffnet. I think it's time to share it to AO3. It took me five years to finish the story, so I am posting this completely and wholly. I hope you guys like it.

**A Spirit’s Love**

_Chapter 1: Stay_

\-----------------------------------------------------

The guild doors opened revealing a very enthusiastic pink-haired dragon slayer holding hands with a blushing short white-haired takeover mage.

"Hey guys! Lisanna and I are dating now!" he announced with a goofy smile.

"Natsu!" the youngest Strauss playfully swatted his arm while putting to shame tomatoes with the blush she was sporting on her face.

"Yeah!"

"Congratulations, Natsu, Lisanna-chan"

"Dating is manly!"

"Didn't think you had it in you, flame brain"

"Finally got the courage, huh pinky?"

"I offer you my sincerest congratulations, Lisanna"

The Fairy Tail crowd grew rowdy while congratulating the new couple. Guys gave the dragon slayer a pat on the back, while the ladies gushed over the details of the confession the takeover mage was relaying.

Everyone was happy for the couple, save for one beautiful blonde. Don't get her wrong, she's happy for both of her nakama, really. She just wished she was the one holding his hand.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Lucy Heartfilia sighed and put on the happiest smile she could muster and made her way through the crowd, "Natsu! Lisanna! Congratulations to the both of you"

"Thanks, Luce!" he grinned, her heart broke.

"Thank you, Lucy." she hugged her, she wanted to cry.

"Alright, let us celebrate this happy occasion with a Fairy Tail style party," Master Makarov announced as Mirajane started serving free flowing booze. Cana, as always, was the first to grab her self a barrel; followed by Macao, Wakaba, and the rest of the guys.

The party went on all night long and around midnight, Lucy felt herself seriously drained from partying and putting on a fake smile. She excused herself from the bar and bid Mira, Erza, Levy, and the rest of the ladies good night. Seeing her best friend and his girlfriend happily leaning on each other while recounting their childhood together, Lucy quietly slipped out of the guild doors and started walking home.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Lucy usually called her spirit Nikola, also called Plue, to accompany her home but tonight she wanted to be alone. She didn't even want Loke to suddenly come out as he usually did. Somehow, her spirits felt her emotions strongly and respected her decision to be alone. This was particularly hard for Leo, Virgo, and Canis Minor as they were the closest to their master. But they know that their master will call on them when she felt the need to talk, thus they remained in the spirit realm.

"Tadaima," she announced to no one in particular. She half-expected Natsu and Happy to greet her 'okaerinasai' but she knew better. Natsu and Happy are enjoying their little family with Lisanna. 'At least they'll be bothering Lisanna now, instead of me' she laughed humorlessly.

She drew herself a hot bath and let herself relax for the night.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Lucy tossed and turned that night. She fluffed her pillows at least 8x in the past hour, changed her orientation in the bed, turned the light on and off, and when she finally couldn't take it, she brewed herself some Lavender and Chamomile tea.

While waiting for the water to boil, Lucy decided to start writing another chapter of her novel. She grabbed her pen and some papers and sat down on her desk. Now, Lucy can usually write 3-5 chapters on a good day, 2-3 on an average day and managed to finish a single chapter on a bad day... but for the life of her, she could not even write a single paragraph tonight. She reread her last chapter but was still stumped after.

Frustrated, Lucy got up and decided to do some stretching and sip some of her tea. After which, she decided to do some light reading instead. Unfortunately, her mind did not seem to be functioning even at the basic level of comprehension. She kept rereading the first sentence but could not get herself to understand the protagonist's meaning.

At this point, Lucy screamed out in frustration and banged her head on her desk. This alarmed her spirits and caused Virgo and Nikola, carried by Leo, to appear in a flash of light.

"Puuuun?" a trembling paw was placed on her shoulder.

"Hime, why are you punishing yourself?" a soft voice asked.

"Princess, please, you have us worried..." a strong hand softly caressed her hair.

"Oh, guys, I'm sorry... I'm just so frustrated that I can't sleep!" Lucy smiled sheepishly at the three spirits as she hugged Nikola, "Oh, Plue, I'm sorry, I don't really know what I can do to get myself to sleep."

"Maybe, Hime, would like to punish me instead of punishing herself?"

"Don't be silly Virgo, I won't punish you. I'm not even punishing myself"

"Well then, my dear Lucy, maybe you would like me to tire you out in bed?" Loke started massaging her back sensually while purring into her ear.

"Loke, you pervert!" Lucy punched him straight on his face and he doubled over, "Ouch, Lucy! I was just kidding, you know?"

"Leo-niisama was punished by Hime, is it time for my punishment now Hime?"

"No, Virgo, Loke was being a pervert and I just defended myself. Anyway, you guys didn't have to come, thank you for your concern," she smiled sweetly at her three spirits.

"Virgo, why don't you take Nikola back? I will stay with Lucy for a while, go ahead and reassure the others that our master will be fine," Loke instructed the virgin spirit.

"Yes, Leo-niisama," Virgo took Plue and departed, Leo was, after all, the leader of the Zodiacs, "good bye, Hime" "Puupuuun"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Lucy," Loke began but was interrupted, "Save it, Loke. I know what you're going to say..."

"And what might that be?" he asked as he led her to the couch.

"That it was my fault, I lost Natsu. That I should've told him I liked him. That I should just be happy for him and wish him and Lisanna the happiness they deserve," she said it quickly, as tears started to cascade down her cheeks, she buried her head in her hand.

Loke drew her to him and held her as she cried, caressing her back and hair, he sighed. He let her cry, and when she was done, he wiped away her remaining tears.

"I never would've said that, Princess. Yes, I knew you loved him but you also knew that even if you told him that, he wouldn't be able to reciprocate your feelings. You are his best friend, but it ends there. You knew it all along, he loved Lisanna. Even when all of us thought that she was gone, he was still in love with her. Princess, you know that, you've been writing it in your stories and in your letters to your mom. You didn't tell him that you loved him because you know, you just know… that your precious friendship with him might get destroyed in the process."

"You're mean, Loke, but you're right..." she sighed.

"I always am, Princess, especially when it concerns you," he smiled at her

"Well, I guess I have to talk to Lisanna now, huh? Just to warn her and all that jazz," she smiled up at him and he frowned, "At this hour?" he asked incredulously.

"Silly lion," she swatted his arm and pouted, "I meant I would talk to her in the morning!"

Loke laughed and hugged her, "Alright, Lucy, I know... Now, why don't you go to bed?" he carried her towards her bedroom and tucked her in. As he was preparing to take his leave, Lucy grabbed his sleeve, "Loke, stay awhile, just until I go to sleep?" looked up at him and he smiled, "Kay, Princess"

Loke slipped in under the covers and held Lucy close to him. When he was sure that she was asleep, he kissed her forehead and quietly slipped away. "Good night, Princess. I love you," he left the apartment and vanished in a flash of light.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

 


	2. Anything for You

**A Spirit’s Love**

_Chapter 2: Anything For You_

\--------------------------------------

"A few days later, Lucy came into the guild smiling brightly. She spotted her blunette best friend and co-bookworm in a corner table and made her way over. "Levy-chan," she greeted as she approached the table the blunette was occupying with the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Hello, Gajeel," Lucy smiled at him as he nodded his acknowledgment.

"Ne, Lu-chan, what are you so happy about?" Levy asked her best friend as she patted the empty bench beside her. "Did you finally get laid, bunny girl?" Gajeel teased the Celestial Spirit Mage. "Gajeel-kun!" Levy squeaked at her boyfriend and swatted his arm.

"Ne, Gajeel, why do you always ask that whenever someone's happy?" she inquired, "Can it be that you're the one wanting to get laid?" he just huffed at her and left the table murmuring about 'crazy bitches and prude girlfriends'. After he left Lucy whispered to Levy, "Levy-chan, when are you going to bed with him? You've been together for almost a year now and he looks like he really needs a good night."

"Lu-chan!" Levy squeaked before turning a bright red and suddenly taking an interest in her hands on her lap. "Oh, I get it," Lucy smiled at her best friend knowingly, "on your first year anniversary, right?"

"At this, Levy even turned a brighter shade of red, "I knew it!" Lucy smiled triumphantly as she patted her best friend on the back. Levy sighed and smiled at her best friend, "Anyway, Lu-chan, what's up? Are you over him already?" Lucy called Mira over and ordered a vanilla shake and cinnamon bun, as she left, Lucy sighed and faced her best friend, "Not yet, Levy-chan, I'm still in the process of moving on. But I know it'll get better... no other place to go than up, right?" she smiled weakly and Levy held both her hands. "That's the spirit, Lu-chan, we can only be better when we've finally accepted the things happening around us"

"I know, Levy, I know... I'll feel better soon enough," she smiled and they continued talking about the latest developments in her novel. It always helped her in her writer's block whenever she talked to her best friend. They developed new ideas and plots together and Lucy was the one to weave them together. This is one of the reasons why she adored the bookworm so much.

\----------------------------------------------

'Ahh today was tiring even though I didn't do a mission. Running plots and cross-checking references with Levy-chan is fun but sure is exhausting! She'd make a geat editor and co-writer,' Lucy thought to herself as she happily prepared her dinner. "I guess I'll have pan-seared salmon for tonight with a side of corn and carrots," she said to her empty apartment and started preparing her self dinner.

'Hmm, it's kinda lonely without Natsu and Happy here. Even Erza and Gray doesn't seem to hang around much anymore... well, that's to be expected, Gray is with Juvia now while Erza has occasional dates with Jellal. Hmm, maybe I'll invite Levy over tomorrow for a sleepover?' she smiled to herself and decide, "Yep, I'll definitely invite Levy tomorrow! Maybe even Cana and Wendy-chan too!" Lucy continued preparing dinner while she turned on the radio and danced to the tunes being played. Soon enough, she was singing along while cooking.

"That is a wonderful song, Princess," Lucy jumped away from the pan of corn and carrots she was sauteeing, "Loke! You scared me. And what are you doing here? I didn't call you out." she huffed at the celestial spirit. "Well," Loke sat himself by the breakfast counter "I actually wanted to come earlier, I thought you might be lonely. Natsu and Happy usually crashed at your place and since he got together with Lisanna, I figured he wouldn't be leaving her side anytime soon."

"That's so sweet of you Loke, but really, I'm fine. I don't mind being alone at times," Lucy continued cooking her dinner, "But... since you're already here, why don't you join me for dinner? I'm making your favorite." she smiled at him (A/N: No, I don't know what Loke's favorite is but I love salmon ^^.)

"I would be delighted to join you for dinner, my Princess," he smiled gallantly at his master, "May I help prepare dinner?" he asked her. "No need, Loke, you're my guest tonight, you just sit tight and relax," she flipped the rosemary and thyme coated salmon on the pan. "Princess, I insist, it would be rude to let my master do all the work", Loke crept closer to her and tried to take the skillet and tongs from her.

"Don't be silly, Loke, I can do this by myself. But if you want, you can set the table and chill some wine," she swatted his hands away and ushered him towards the chinaware cabinet. "As you wish," he conceded and started setting the table. As they continued to work, Loke affectionately joked that they were like a 'married couple' preparing an anniversary dinner or stay at home dinner date. At this, Lucy blushed and accidentally dropped the tongs she was holding.

"Lucy?"

"I'm fine, Loke," she giggled "it just slipped from my hand. Hey, I'm almost done cooking, is the table set?" she asked her Lion spirit.

"Of course, Princess," he smiled as he handed her a rectangular serving plate, "Would you like me to finish the preparations so you may freshen up?"

"Why, thank you, Loke," Lucy smiled as she handed the tongs to him, "you are such a gentleman when you're not perverted" she laughed merrily as she left the kitchen.

'Princess, for you, I'll be anything,' he thought as he placed finishing touches on their dinner.

\-----------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, Lucy made her way into the dining room. She can hear a soft jazz music playing, she can also smell ylang-ylang and a hint of cinnamon. She entered the dining room and was surprised to see it empty, "Loke?" she called out. 'Did he leave already?' Lucy asked herself and then, someone cleared his throat.

Lucy turned around and found her lion in his suit, holding a bouquet of white camellia flowers. "These flowers are not as beautiful as you but they are testimonies to your beauty, my Princess," he smiled as she took them in her arms and thanked him. "They really are beautiful, Loke, where'd you get them?" she asked as she went into the kitchen and arranged the flowers in a vase. "That is a secret, Princess, a man must not let his love know where he gets his gifts until they are married," he smiled at her as he took the vase from her arms and placed it on the breakfast counter. "I would love to make this as the centerpiece of our dinner table but it will only hinder my view of my beautiful Princess," he informed her as he took her hand and assisted her to take her seat. "Now, my dear Lucy, let us enjoy our dinner," he smiled as he uncovered their meal.

\-----------------------------------------

After a few hours, Lucy and Loke have finished their dinner and are now sipping wine while lounged at her couch.

"Ne, Loke, arigatou..."

"Whatever for, Princess?"

"For tonight... I would've been fine on my own, but I'm better now that you spent time with me. So, thank you..." she smiled up at him.

"You're welcome, Princess, anytime." he smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"Loke!" Lucy blushed and looked at her lap. A few moments later Lucy stifled a yawn.

"Princess, it's late..." he took her wine glass off her hands, "you should get to bed. I'll clean up."

"I can't ask you to do that, Loke, I can do the dishes by myself." she stood up and started to walk towards her kitchen when Loke grabbed her hand. "It's fine, Princess, you get to bed. I know you and Levy plan to go out tomorrow, so you should rest," he ushered her towards her bedroom instead.

"Thank you, Loke," she kissed his cheek and prepared herself for bed.

"Anything for you, Princess."

\---------------------------------------------

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Cinnamon scent is an aphrodisiac, but more importantly it increases the appetite
> 
> * Ylang-ylang is a mild-scented flower that also increases the appetite
> 
> * Camellia (white), in the Victorian language of flowers, means adoration, perfection, loveliness. I think that's how Loke feels for Lucy. He adores her. To him, she is perfect. And she is lovely, but the flowers are only testimonials to her beauty.


	3. Protect

**A Spirit’s Love**

_Chapter 3: Protect_

\--------------------------------------

 

It was a difficult mission, Lucy knew that when she took the flier from the board. Mira had looked at her with sisterly concern and she reassured her that her spirits will be strong enough that there is no need for companions. She left out the fact that she did not want Erza and Gray's looks of pity upon her; nor did she want to be around Natsu, Lisanna, and Happy's content little family. She also did not want to look after a young Sky Dragon slayer who was probably a whole lot more stronger than she is. All she said to the kind barmaid was that she wanted to pay this month's rent without delay.

Of course, the eldest of the Strauss sibling did not point out that she, Lucy, has already paid this month's and next month's rent when she had taken last week's journey to a freezing mountain top to defeat a rampant snow mage who kept creating blizzards that troubled the townsfolk. Mira knew that Lucy craved for independence from Team Natsu, and she also knew that a certain Lion spirit will, no doubt, keep her safe and relatively unharmed. With this knowledge, she begrudgingly gave clearance to the Celestial Spirit mage to pursue this particular mission.

"Why must he be on top of the mountain?' she says" Horologium echoed his master's complain as he trudged up the path behind the leader of the Zodiacs.

"If you didn't want to face freezing temperatures, we could've just stayed at home, Princess"

"I need to pay my rent, Loke' she says"

"You could've picked another mission, Princess," Loke let the knowledge that the month's rent had already been paid. He would rather have a grumbling Lucy than a deathly silent one.

"Well, the pay was good, she says" the clock spirit relayed his master's answer.

"Still, we could've picked another mission or two that wouldn't freeze your perfect butt off," he smirked as he continued his climb. He waited a moment, and when he did not receive a reply, he turned back towards his clock companion only to receive a kick from the master herself and find the clock spirit gone.

"Loke, you pervert!" Lucy was bundled up in a fur trimmed jacket and a mini skirt, wearing a blush and a frown on her beautiful face.

"Ouch, that hurt, Lucy. It's your fault for me being perverted. Tempting me with your long legs and short skirt," he approached her with a smirk lining his handsome features. "Anyway, two weeks ago we went on a mission in the midst of a similar storm, and you almost froze to death. Yet, you did not learn your lesson? You're still wearing a mini skirt? If you're trying to seduce me, Princess, you already have. I just hope you won't suffer frost bite or die from this weather. I am not into the necrophilia fetish," he laughed heartily, "but if you want, I can let you in on my fetishes, darkest desires, and secret fantasies," he wiggled his brows at her suggestively and this earned him another kick from his beloved mistress.

"Stop being a pervert, Loke, and you must know that this is how I dress ever since I got loose of the Heartfilia cluthces," she frowned at him and continued her way up the path.

"Of course I know that Princess, and despite my deepest, darkest fantasies of you, I still wish you would've dressed warmly for this mission, especially since we'll be facing a lecherous man who kidnaps young maidens like you and forces them against their will," he said as he draped his coat over her shoulders.

"Exactly why I dressed like this, to attract his attention and capture him quickly"

"I am pretty sure, you caught his attention and those of others," he said with a frown, "Anyway, Princess, we must hurry on to town and seek shelter for the night. I have a feeling that this storm willl turn into a blizzard soon enough."

"Right, right. Who ever heard of a town on top of a snowy mountain? The residents up there must be insane to continue living in that kind of situation."

\---------------------------------------------

"Ahh, this feels good," Lucy relaxed in the hot spring as Virgo stood watch to prevent Loke and other prowling perverts from coming into the bath. " Oh, Virgo, this is just so wonderful, the temperature's just right," Lucy hummed contentedly. "I am glad that the bath is to your liking, madamoiselle," a deep sultry voice spoke from the shadows.

"W-who's there?" Lucy quickly grabbed her discarded towel on the side of the spring, Virgo scanned the dark corner as she prepared to attack.

"Hime, I think it's best if you went back to Leo-niisama," Virgo nodded to her master as Lucy wrapped the towel around her and tried to make her way back to her room. (A/N keyword here "tried")

"Oh, dear me, we can't have that now, can we?" a creepy masked man with a curly moustache and a potbelly blocked Lucy's path, "After all, tonight, I will make you my bride," he cackled sinisterly and Virgo took this chance to deliver a sucker punch. The masked man was taken aback but recovered quickly, he furiously turned on the maid spirit and chanted a spell in a different language. Out of the shadows, hell hounds appeared and attacked Virgo.

"Virgo!" Lucy cried out and decided that the better action to take was to call Loke since she was unarmed and clad only in a wet towel, "Loke! Help!" She managed to scream before a musky cloth was brought over her head. Lucy struggled before her hands were tied back and she was hoisted up on someone's shoulder.

"Hime!" she heard Virgo call out to her before she felt a hard object colliding with the back of her head.

"Loke! Help!"

Loke heard Lucy cry out and immediately rushed to the bath area. Upon arrival, he noticed Virgo fighting off two hell hounds and a masked man with a towel-clad female slowly vanishing into a warp circle. "Shit! Lucy!" he ran as fast as he could but he did not catch up with the man.

As soon as the circle vanished, the hounds disappeared as well. He rushed over to Virgo and assessed her injuries. "Gomenasai, Leo-niisama, I was not able to protect Hime"

"It's okay, Virgo, just tell me what happened", the lion spirit asked the maid spirit.

\------------------------------------------------------

Once Virgo has finished her story, Loke ordered her to go back to the spirit realm to recuperate and assured her that he will find their beloved Princess.

When the maid spirit disintegrated back to the spirit realm, the lion retrieved his mistress' keys and started his search for her.

Loke, like a dragon slayer, had amazing senses. That fact aside, he was especially intune to his mistress' aura and scent. He caught a whiff of her vanilla and strawberry scent and immediately concentrated on that. From the spot she had disappeared from, he could see tendrils of her power and started tracing the string-like aura into the thick forest. Loke quickly picked up his pace once he caught a stronger whiff of her scent and followed the tendrils of Lucy's power to the mountain peak.

\---------------------------------------------------------

As the foliage grew thinner, Lucy's scent and power grew stronger. Slowly, Loke was engulfed in the familiar warmth of Lucy's aura. He came to a stop as he spotted the edge of an encampment in a clearing. The lion was able to pick out two voices over the strong wind.

"You creep! Get your filthy hands off me!"

"Oh shut up, sweetheart, after tonight you'll be the one begging me to keep touching you."

"In your dreams, pervert!"

A resounding slap was heard, followed by a string of curses.

"Ouch! You bitch! You'll pay for that!"

"N-no! Stop! Get off me!"

Loke rushed forward and tackled the man off of Lucy. "Bastard!" he screamed as his fist collided with the man's jaw.

He climbed off the man and scurried towards his tied up mistress.

"Lucy!" he quickly untied the bonds and inspected her. Aside from some scratches, bruises, and a bloodied lip, his Princess was fine. "Damn it, Lucy, you had me worried to death!"

"I'm sorry, Loke," Lucy hugged him and buried her face into his warm chest, "Thank you for saving me"

Loke held her tight and took in her scent, "Always, Princess, I will always save you."

"How sweet, you make me sick!" the masked man said, disgusted. "No one can take away my bride," he said as he started chanting in the language he used earlier.

"Stand back, Princess, I'll handle this cowardly bastard," Loke placed her protectively against her back. "Oh Regulus, lend me your strength. Regulus Impact!"

One blow and their mission was over. The masked man fainted from Loke's attack. Lucy gathered up the ropes that were used to bind her and gave it to her lion spirit, Loke tied the man up and stood up.

"Call Aries, Princess," he gave her keys back, "As much as I adore your towel-clad body and hope that that skimpy towel would fall off, I do not wish for you to freeze to death" he smiled charmingly at his mistress.

Lucy blushed and called the shy sheep spirit, "I'm sorry!" Aries immediately apologized.

"You didn't do anything wrong Aries, I just want to ask if you can spare me some clothes?"

"Oh, of course, Lucy-sama" the shy spirit quickly produced a woolen dress.

"By the way, how is Virgo?"

"She is recovering well, Lucy-sama, she wishes you would've called on her instead"

"Virgo needs to rest, Aries, tell her I was the one who asked Lucy to summon you instead" the lion said as he turned away from them while Lucy started getting dressed.

"Thank you, Aries, it's a perfect fit"

"You are most welcome, Lucy-sama, I will go back now and tend to Virgo. Goodbye, Leo, Lucy-sama" Aries vanished with a poof and Lucy was left alone with Loke and the captured masked man.

"Let us head back, then, Princess" Loke looked at Lucy like he was seeing an angel.

\---------------------------------------------

Aries made a woolen dress with long sleeves and a matching pair of boots. Lucy seemed warm enough and he was satisfied with that. They started their trek back to the hot springs with him carrying their captive on his shoulders and Lucy leading the way.

He would, occassionally, tell her the right direction and by nightfall, they arrived at the onsen.

The owner called the town's sherriff and an hour later, Lucy was given her reward. They stayed the night at the onsen in their shared room.

"Loke," Lucy whispered.

"Yes, Princess?" he was facing away from her.

"Thank you, again, for today," she snuggled closer to his back.

Loke turned over and pulled her to his chest, "I'll always protect you, Princess, I swear on my eternal life" he kissed the top of her head and he felt her squeeze herself closer to his chest.

A few moments later, her breathing evened out and Loke smiled.

"I love you, Lucy, good night..."

 


	4. Butterfly Knife

**A Spirit’s Love**

_Chapter 4: Butterfly Knife_

\--------------------------------------

"Good morning , minna-san!" a very cheerful Lucy came in followed by a very stoic Virgo.

"Morning, Lucy"

"Morning"

"G'morning"  
"Good morning, Lucy-chan"

A chorus of greetings welcomed the blonde celestial mage and her pink-haired spirit. The two made their way to the bar and was greeted by the white-haired demoness, "Well, good morning girls! You seem to be in high spirits, Lucy."

"I feel a whole lot better, Mira-san!" she smiled and ordered a glass of orange juice and two slices of cinnamon-flavored french toast. Mira left her to prepare her breakfast and Lucy faced Virgo, "Ne, Virgo, you know you can stop following me here in Magnolia, right? It's not like some madman's coming to get me here. "

"Yes, Hime, but Leo-niisama wants you protected at all times."

"Geez, you guys have better things to do than babysit me! I'll have to talk to that perverted Loke about this," Lucy huffed and suddenly two strong arms encircled her waist, "You called, Princess?" a smooth masculine voice whispered in her ear and a chill went down her spine.

"Eek! Loke! Get your hands off me!" she pushed him off and readjusted her position so she was facing him. "Stop being perverted around me Loke!" Lucy huffed again and crossed her arms "And stop having Virgo and the others follow me around. It's not fair to them. They have better things to do, you know."

"But Princess, it is our duty to protect you at all times as your spirits. Oh, by the way Virgo, you can go now. I'll watch over Lucy today," he dismissed the pink-haired maid spirit.

"Yes, Leo-niisama."

"Seriously, Loke? Don't you have anything better to do? Like go out on a date?" Lucy turned away from him and towards the bar. "Oh, is my Princess Lucy jealous?" Loke teased as he sat beside his master.

"No!" Lucy huffed at him and followed up her ordered breakfast sweetly from Mirajane. "It's Magnolia, Loke, Fairy Tail's hometown. I'm safe here."

"Not necessarily. Not from them Lucy," he whispered as he looked over to the two new arrivals.

"We're back, minna-san!"

"Yo guys!" Natsu grinned widely as he and his girlfriend entered the guild.

"Welcome back!" the guild members chorused.

"Natsu!" a blue furball rushed towards him as Lucy felt butterflies flutter around her stomach. "Hey, Happy!" the pink-haired dragon slayer smiled at his Exceed. "Did you miss us, Happy?" asked the white-haired shapeshifter. "Of course I did, Lisanna!" Lucy felt a knife slash through the butterflies swiftly.

\------------------------------------------

Lucy didn't notice herself grimacing at the newly-entered couple until Loke nudged her. "Princess, smile! They'll notice you," the lion spirit whispered at his master's ear and Lucy begrudgingly smiled as her best friend and his girlfriend approached them.

"Hi, Lucy!"

"Yo, Luigi!"

"Natsu, it's Lucy! Just because you got yourself a girlfriend now doesn't mean you can forget your best friend's name!" Lucy berated him and Lisanna giggled. Lucy couldn't help but smile. 'So what if I'm sad and lonely? As long as he's happy, I should be okay. Lisanna makes him happy, so I should really be happy for them, right?' Lucy thought to herself as the happy couple regaled her with tales from their recent adventure, a job involving a master thief at a jewelry auction in five-star beach resort.

"Hey, Lucy, why don't the four of us go out on a job sometime? I'm sure Natsu and Happy miss doing jobs with you. And I definitely want to go on a job with you," Lisanna cajoled as Natsu and Happy nodded vigorously while grinning like idiots.

"Yeah, Luigi! Let's go on a job!" Natsu coaxed. "Yeah, let's go Luigi!" Happy flew and rested atop her head.  
"It's Lucy!" she yelled and let out a defeated sighed, "Yeah, okay, just not a very hard mission, I just got back from one. And you guys also need to rest up."

"Alright! We'll do one tomorrow! Happy! Let's pick one!" Natsu exclaimed as he dragged his exceed and his girlfriend away. "Not too soon Natsu!" Lucy cried out but it was too late, Natsu had already picked a mission and registered with Mirajane.

\-------------------------------------------------

Lucy just sighed heavily as Natsu, Lisanna, and Happy bade her good bye and promised to see each other early morn tomorrow.

"You know, you could've said no,"

"Eh? Loke? You're still here?" the blonde blinked, surprised that her spirit had kept quiet all throughout the exchange.

"You should've said no, Lucy," Loke vocalized his thoughts albeit a little too seriously.

"Hai, hai, Loke, I know. But what can I do? I already said yes."

"You can opt out. It will hurt you too much Lucy, you're going to hurt yourself just by being with them," Loke whispered as Mirajane passed by.

"I'll be fine Loke, don't worry. Besides, I miss working with Natsu and Happy too," she smiled dismissively and started to eat her breakfast. Loke frowned at her but said nothing, 'Too stubborn! But that's just fine. I'll stay with her as Loke tomorrow, not Leo,' he thought to himself as he settled on the bar stool.

The day proceeded with Lucy and Levy discussing her new chapter and the rest was uneventful.

\--------------------------------------------------

"Tadaima!" Lucy greeted her empty apartment and settled down her manuscript on the living room table. "I am so tired! Levy is such a hard proofreader and editor! But she is the best!" she smiled triumphantly and started preparing her bath, 'After this, I'll pack my bags. Good thing we won't be gone long, just a 2-day mission including a 6-hour travel time back and forth. Anyway, it's just a B-class mission, nothing too bad and the divided pay is great too, as long as Natsu doesn't destroy anything,' Lucy thought as she stripped off her clothes and sunk in her tub.

Half an hour later, Lucy drained the tub and started her shower, 'Oh, I'm almost out of my Jasmine and Spring Rain-scented bath products! I must remember to do my grocery shopping soon. I'm pretty sure I'm almost out of food too, it's been a while since I've done my last shopping,' Lucy made a mental note to write down a list once she gets out of the shower. Another half-hour passed and Lucy was dressed in her sleeping attire, a matching light orange camisole and shorts. "Alright, time to pack!"

Since Lucy started going on jobs by herself, she learned how to pack lightly, 'Good thing I don't wear too much make up, I don't know how I can fit a make-up kit in this pack anymore'. After packing her essentials, (two sets of underwear, two shirts and a pair of black pants, toiletries, her whip, and just enough jewels) she went into her kitchen and prepared some Lavender and Chamomile tea. She wasn't surprised when she found Loke in his Earth clothes, "Loke, you know you don't have to come like that, I can call you out anytime I need you anyway," she said as she started to boil her water. "I'll go with you, Princess, using my own powers," he said as he joined her at the table. "But we'll have to divide the pay between more people," she argued uselessly. "I don't need the pay, I just want to make sure you'll be okay,' he said as he looked at her. Lucy sighed, "I'll be fine Loke, don't worry," she smiled. He frowned at her, "I can't help but worry, Princess, just let me do this, please."

Lucy sighed and conceded, "Fine, you can meet us at the station tomorrow."

"I'll stay tonight"

"..."

"..."

"Okay, just don't be a perv," she sighed and he smiled at her.

They drank their tea and soon after, they retired to Lucy's bed. It's been this way for a while now, ever since Lucy's heart got broken, Loke would spend the night. Sometimes just until she fell asleep, other times she'll wake up still in his arms. Lucy knew it wasn't fair to him, but she just couldn't stop being selfish. If she couldn't have who she wanted, she can just pretend Loke was him. Loke didn't mind though, he loved his Princess, his master. It may be against the rules but so what, he's been punished before, and it wasn't because he wanted to be happy. So let the Spirit King punish him, he'll be happy as long as he's with his Princess.

Lucy snuggled into his chest and he encased her in his arms. Soon after, he could hear her deep breaths signalling she was asleep. He kissed her forehead and smiled, 'I love you, Lucy,' he whispered and she smiled in her sleep. He only wished it was him she was dreaming of. He sighed and soon, he followed his master into dreamland.

\---------------------------------------------------

Morning light shone on Lucy's beautiful face. 'That can't be right, I'm sure I closed the curtains last night,' Lucy thought as she stretched her lithe body. She turned on her back and let her hand wander over to the other side of the bed, she sighed as her hand met the unoccupied space. 'Loke must've gone back to the Spirit World to get ready.'

The Celestial Spirit Mage stretched once more before standing up and walking out of her room, intent on preparing her breakfast when she was assaulted by a wonderful aroma. "Loke, is that you? Are you cooking breakfast?" she called out to her Lion spirit and was surprised to find him in her pink frilly apron. Lucy giggled as she approached the breakfast counter and assessed the sumptuos meal he prepared. "Wow, Loke, are you looking to feed an army?" she teased and noticed his lack of response. She sauntered over to him and noticed that he was deep in concentration in preparing a bento box.

He placed a heart-shaped rice ball on one side and arranged a flower-cut carrot on top of his stir-fried vegetables. Loke looked at his work and turned to his side, but was caught off-guard by his beautiful master looking at his well-prepared lunch. Lucy whistled and repeated her army comment, Loke blushed at this and said to her, "Princess, I prepared our lunches so we wouldn't have to eat unhealthy and unsanitarily prepared food."

Lucy had started healthy eating and living about a month ago when, once on a mission, she had embarrasingly acquired explosive diarrhea during an unplanned eating detour. Who knew chili con carne with extra beans and hot sauce could have that effect on her? So every mission she goes to, either she packs her lunch or eats at a well-picked restaurant or she just hunts and prepares her own food. Lucy has become quite the self-sufficient young lady, as Virgo and Loke would often commend her. Sure, she was self-sufficient when she left the Heartfilia estate but Natsu unknowingly breaking her heart has had quite a positive impact on her life. Of course the blonde mage fails to notice this but all her teammates and spirits has not.

Once breakfast was consumed and all necessary preparations were made, Lucy and Loke headed out to meet 'The Lovers' as the guild called them. They arrived 20 minutes earlier than their call time so the two decided to lounge around at the station's cafe. Not a minute later than the designated time, Lisanna, Natsu and Happy showed up. The group bought their tickets and settled into the coach.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Natsu, what's the job about?" Loke asked the pink-haired mage who currently had his arm around the white-haired shape-shifter, thoroughly enjoying the effects of Wendy's Troia.

"Hmm, let's see…" Natsu ruffled around his pack, found the flyer and handed it to the spirit.

Lucy looked over and read aloud, "Capture the heart of the Black Knight, tormentor of Fair Maidens… Natsu… what is this?" she asked, vein popping on her forehead.

"We need to capture this Black Knight guy, Luigi, I thought you were smart," Natsu sighed, apparently not realizing the double entendre of the job description.

"And how, pray tell, do you plan on us doing this, Natsu?" Lisanna asked, not pleased with her boyfriend's denseness this time around.

"We fight him, of course!" the fire mage grinned, "Aye!" fully supported by his exceed. Lucy, Loke, and Lisanna face-palmed; the two girls sighing, got up and left the Lion spirit to explain the true nature of the job to their dense friend.

The female mages got to the food cart and ordered sweet treats to placate their cravings. Half an hour later, they heard Natsu's whining, "Lisanna! Lucy!" he rushed over to them and apologized, "I'm sorry! I didn't know that the flyer meant that kind of job!"

"Figures," Lucy and Lisanna sighed.

"Don't worry, we can back out of this, I'll tell Mirajane!" Natsu exclaimed.

"No, Natsu, we're already half-way there. Let's finish the job as soon as possible," Lucy told him flatly.

"Yeah, we don't want to taint Fairy Tail's name by backing out," Lisanna agreed.

"Princess, are you sure about this?" Loke asked, having followed the dense mage into the food cart.

"Yeah! Lisanna and I talked about it," Lucy scooted over to give Loke room to sit.

"We've got it all covered, ne Lucy-san?" Lisanna smiled and Lucy smiled back.

Loke didn't miss this exchange and made a mental note to himself to ask his master about it. The group continued talking until they reached their destination. They hopped off the train and went looking for an accommodation. Once they finally found a small hotel, they settled onto their rooms and agreed to meet up for lunch at Lucy and Loke's room.

\-------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Princess," Loke started as he helped Lucy unpack their lunches.

"Hmm?"

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"Yeah," Lucy smiled serenely.

"Mind telling me what you and Lisanna talked about?"

"Oh, nothing much, we just talked about Natsu and her adventures."

"Uh-huh," waiting for her to say more.

"Oh, Loke, Lisanna's a nice person, nothing to hate about her." Lucy told him as they finished setting up their meal. Loke smiled, he was glad that Lucy was happier now than the previous months. She seemed to be moving on pretty well.

\---------------------------------------------------------

A knock was heard on their door which Lucy opened and allowed their team mates to enter. "Natsu, you're drooling," Lucy commented dryly.

"Did you make all this Lucy?" Lisanna asked her, to which Lucy replied that their meal was prepared by her Lion spirit to the trio's amazement.

"Wow! Loke, you did all this?" Happy asked the bigger cat and Loke admitted that he liked to cook in his free time, which Lucy interpreted as in-between dates.

After lunch, the team had decided to split up to gather data regarding their adversary, the Black Knight, and to meet up an hour later back at the hotel. Natsu and Lisanna naturally went together with Happy. Lucy and Loke decided to take different paths. Lucy covered the bars north of town while Loke took to the southern pubs.

An hour later the team had gathered and sifted through their acquired information. Once properly segregated, the team made their plan through an early dinner. It was decided that the female members of the group will traipse into town bars capturing the attention of the Black Knight and enticing him into taking them (one or both mages) into his lair whereas the males will follow and attack the susceptible and unsuspecting pervert.

Lucy and Lisanna prepared themselves for the night as both Loke and Natsu grumbled about the "crappy plan" their beloved girls had come up with.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Three bars and a couple of shots into the plan, Lucy had successfully managed to seduce the Black Knight, who was also the son of the town's mayor. Natsu had to hold back Loke from pummeling the dirty pervert who had his hands all over the fire mage's best friend. The damned pervert whispered into Lucy's ear that caused her to blush and whisper back, beckoning Lisanna over.

Now here is where phase 2 of their plan commences, the Black Knight will get to take Lisanna and Lucy home for what he thinks is a hot threesome all over his house, BDSM included; but in reality, he will get the punishment he deserved a hundred-folds over dealt by the fuming male mages.

The two females, stumbled over each other latching their arms and pressing their breasts to him. And the Black Knight was more than happy to cop a feel on both sultry and salacious femme fatales. Both fire mage and Lion spirit was more than ready to tear the damned pervert into a million pieces and burn him for all eternity. Only the blue exceed prevented them to do so, reminding them of the girls' plan to put an end to the pervert's disgraceful act.

"Oh, Master John, your house is huge," Lisanna played the perfect bimbo part while Lucy massaged the arm she was clinging onto, "I'm pretty sure that's not the only thing that's huge, Jessica-chan," Lucy slipped her hand down the Black Knight's front and lingered at the waistband of his pants, batting her eyelashes at him.

"That's right Mia-chan, you and Jessica-chan can be assured that there's a lot of me to go around. I am after all, the most well-endowed man in this humble town," the Black Knight grinned as he escorted the ladies he picked up from the bar. 'How lucky am I that I get to screw two hot chicks in one night, with them volunteering themselves to some BDSM! And look at those boobs, man, I'm gonna get some great action tonight!' he thought cheekily as he offered them some wine.

'This disgusting pervert,' both females thought simultaneously, "Just wait till you see what we've got planned for you, Master John" Lucy and Lisanna cooed as he joined them at the couch. "Oh-ho-ho-ho, I can hardly wait ladies," he grinned cockily as they made a toast, "To a great night!"

"It would be a great night indeed," a sensual masculine voice with underlying rage agreed. The Black Knight froze and looked to his supposed bed partners, both smiled sweetly at him and pointed towards the door. The Black Knight, Master John, scrambled up and yelled in a squeaky voice, "Who the hell are you guys?"

"None of your business, pervert!" a pink-haired maniac with flaming hands stepped from behind the ginger-haired tuxedo and sunglasses wearing freak.

"Oh, we are just the handsome knights of these princesses you had your sleazy hands all over," Mr. Ginger-hair grinned as his fist lit up with a golden glow. "W-what?" he slowly backed away, preparing to bolt when he heard a crack of a whip, he looked to his sides and found Jessica and Mia walking over to the new arrivals, Mia holding a whip and Jessica hugging her from behind. "You did say you were into BDSM, Master John," both vixens shot him a cold, unfeeling gaze matched with maniacal grins. The last thing the Black Knight remembers seeing before he fainted was two lit fists attached to two murderous males as the two beautiful females he was supposed to sleep with laughed like witches.

\------------------------------------------------------

Mirajane and Levy laughed out loud as Erza appeared ready to murder the pervert her two precious nakama encountered, Lisanna and Lucy recounted their tale to the girls while Natsu and Loke hung out with the guild's men.

"I still can't believe Lucy allowed some sleazy guy to cop a feel on her," Gray grunted.

"Well, Ginger here probably got revenge for Bunny girl," Gajeel's crimson eyes were alit with amusement.

"I'm still mad at that Black Knight, if I didn't trust Lisanna, I would've thought she was glad that the damn pervert was touching her!" Natsu spat, disgusted at the memory.

"At least you got some action afterwards, Ginger here is still frustrated over the sexual tension between him and Bunny girl," Gajeel commented and the other males guffawed at Loke's pent up sexual frustration.

Loke was pretty much frustrated already and being picked on by the guys was not helping. He slammed his fist onto Gajeel's face thus starting another of the Fairy Tail's infamous brawls.

\------------------------------------------------

Over at the girls' side of the guild, "Now, what are they fighting about?" Lucy sighed. "They're always fighting Lu-chan, with or without reason," Levy sighed at her boyfriend's and the rest of males' antics.

"Anyway, Lucy-san, I'm pretty sure Loke was extremely furious during that mission," Lisanna said coyly, "Did you help him release all his frustrations?" Mira fainted at Lisanna's words, unbelieving that her little sister is no longer innocent. Erza choked on her strawberry shortcake. Cana drowned in her alcohol barrel. And Levy turned redder that Erza's hair.

Lucy blushed profusely and told Lisanna plainly that she and Loke weren't in that kind of relationship. Lisanna giggled and told her that Loke was certainly looking to further their relationship. Lucy denied the fact and told her that spirits and their masters had certain rules they must abide by.

"Oh, Lucy, there's always an exception to the rule," Lisanna smiled at the blonde mage and called her boyfriend over. Apparently, they might be late for a dinner reservation in a 5-star restaurant. Natsu and 5-star did not go well, according to Lucy's mind, "Oh well, might as well head home, hey Loke!" she called out and her spirit dropped a battered Gray and made his way over.

"Yes, Princess?" he asked as he fixed himself up.

"I'm gonna go home, if you want to stay behind, that's okay with me. Just don't get too rough with them," Lucy said as she placed a couple of Jewels on the bar for her meal. "I'll go with you, Princess," he smiled and bowed for her to go first, "I don't want any sleazy perverts taking their chance with you."  
"I'll be fine, Loke," she countered but allowed him to lead her back to her apartment.

\------------------------------------------------------

The night passed by like all their other nights together, Lucy encased in Loke's powerful arms.

"Princess, I've got to go back to the Spirit world tonight, I'm drained and I certainly don't want to use your powers up," he said gently to his master.

"Okay, Loke, just stay until I fall asleep please?"

"Okay."

"Good night, Loke," she snuggled closer.

"Good night, Princess," he kissed the top of her head.

Once Lucy's breathing evened out, Loke eased himself out of her arms. He readjusted the blankets and with a flash of light, he was gone.

 


	5. The Rulebook

**A Spirit’s Love**

_Chapter 5: The Rulebook_

\--------------------------------------

 

Keys jingled in her pocket as Lucy ran across the cobblestone avenue of Magnolia. She was late. Levy and Lisanna have been waiting for over half an hour already. Their early morning shopping tryst has been reset to a midmorning shopping run. Lucy was disappointed in herself. She never overslept a shopping date with any of her friends. This was a first, and she wasn't keen on being repeatedly tardy. Although she's very much happy to lie lazily, wrapped in her lion spirit's embrace.

"Bad, Lucy! Get those thoughts out of your head," the Celestial Spirit Mage berated herself. Thoughts about the Leader of the Twelve Zodiacs permeated her mind the past couple of months and it had been unnerving to her at first. She could not afford to think about Loke like that, he was her spirit and she was his master.

It has been a year since Lisanna and Natsu got together and a couple of months have passed since Lucy realized that she has moved on from her unrequited love for the Dragon Slayer. Everything had been smooth sailing since Lucy accepted the fact that Natsu loved her as nakama and nothing more. They were still best friends and did jobs and hung out, but Lucy no longer pined for him. With Lisanna, however, things skyrocketed.

The Celestial Spirit Mage knew how likable the youngest Takeover sibling was, but it wasn't until they did a job together did she really appreciate the short-haired girl. Natsu and Lisanna had been dating for 5 months then and Lucy was slowly but surely recovering when the white-haired mage asked the blonde to accompany her in a C-class mission. It was an easy breezy mission, taking care of a couple of kindergarten children as the teacher was on sick leave for a week. The only catch was that the town was on a desert that took a 2-day journey by train. So the two girls were stuck together for almost two weeks and they struck up quite a friendship.

That is the reason why Lucy had agreed to go shopping with Lisanna for her and Natsu's anniversary. Lucy will be giving Lisanna tips on clothes, lingerie, makeup and hair; while the short blunette will be giving bedroom tips and tricks.

"Who knew Levy-chan had such a wild side?" Lucy thought to herself as she slowed down and fixed her appearance as she approached the café they agreed to as a rendezvous point.

\--------------------------------

"Lucy, finally!", Levy exclaimed as her best friend approached, "We were starting to think that Loke tired you out last night!"

"Levy! Loke and I are not in that kind of situation," Lucy sighed as she sat down and waved over a waitress, "One Jasmine Peppermint tea, iced please."

"Well, all's good with you and kitty right?" Lisanna asked as she sipped her drink.

"Of course, Lisa-chan, why do you ask?"

"Ugh, Lu-chan, you are so clueless!" Both of her friends slapped their foreheads.

"What? What do you mean?" Lucy asked, taken aback at her friends antics.

"Loke's been asking Cana out on dates, aren't you aware of that?" Lisanna supplied.

"Oh, so that's where he goes when his key goes cold…" Lucy said as the waitress placed her drink on the table.

"Doesn't it bother you, Lucy? I mean, he is kind of like your boyfriend right?" Lisanna asked her and the Celestial Spirit mage blushed profusely, "N-no, no, Lisa-chan! Loke is my spirit, he's the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs for crying out loud!"

"Are you sure, Lu-chan? I mean you guys do look all coupley and lovey dovey..." Levy teased her best friend and Lucy blushed even more.

"Yes, I'm sure!" The blonde mage declared and decided to take charge of their meeting, "So where do you want to go first, after this?"

"Oh, I was thinking about..."

\----------------------------------------

"That was the most exhausting shopping spree I've ever been on," Lucy sighed as she set down bags of her purchases and toed off her peach flats, eternally grateful for her foresight to wear simple shoes. The women had gotten carried away with their fun-filled day and only noticed the setting sun which reminded both Levy and Lisanna of their "temporarily forgotten" boyfriends and opted to bid each other farewells and good nights.

Lucy stretched as she walked into her kitchen. She hummed a merry little tune as she boiled water for her favorite nighttime tea, Lavender and Chamomile blend. As the water boiled, she pulled out some left over pizza from the fridge and heated it up. Once she had consumed her dinner and tea, Lucy decided to take a quick shower before retiring for the night.

The blonde mage selected a simple silk night gown and settled under her covers; noting that his would be the third time this week that Loke had not interrupted her night. She wondered idly if what Lisanna and Levy said was true, that Cana and Loke had been going out. Not that it was any of her business, but she felt a little hurt that Loke had not told her that he and the Card Mage were dating.

"Well, he does have his own life to live and an eternity of it, so why would it matter however way he chose to spend it?", Lucy thought as she drifted off to sleep.

\-------------------------------------------

It was a few minutes before midnight when a blinding white light appeared in Lucy Heartfilia's living room. The lion spirit sighed as he felt his owner's peaceful presence.

His favorite blonde was asleep and as much as he did not want to bother her, he also did not want to leave. He removed his suit jacket and shoes and slowly slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around the slumbering mage.

The ginger-haired spirit, leader of the Twelve Zodiacs, was drained after the plight he and the Alberona woman encountered. Who knew that repaying his debt to the brunette card mage would give him much trouble? Cana had only asked him to accompany her in a search for a certain type of ale that brought them to several pubs and taverns in Magnolia and some neighboring cities and towns. Finally achieving success in their mini mission, the two nakama had decided to celebrate after Cana ordered several barrels of the aged ale to be delivered to her apartment in Fairy Hills. It was a drinking spree for both Fairy Tail mages for a whole night. Unfortunately, because Cana was drop-dead gorgeous, albeit a certified drunkard, she happened to have attracted more trouble than what she was worth.

He was tremendously grateful for the brunette who happened to have revealed a great fortune to him. The card mage certainly had been gifted with talent and oracle-like powers in prediction. It was only because he was desperately searching for a loophole in the celestial rulebook that he happened to believe Cana when she brought to light a small footnote that indicated freedom to pursue his beloved master.

The majestic lion spirit had to return to the spirit realm before seeing his master again so that he can heal most of the bruises he suffered from the drunken scuffle. Loke sighed for the umpteenth time that day as he perused the beauty nestled in his arms. He smiled softly and kissed Lucy's forehead.

"Good night, Lucy, we'll be together someday soon."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was the shortest chapter I've ever written.


	6. Finding the Loophole

Loke had made Cana Alberona promise not to mention any of the footnote business with any member of Fairy Tail, especially to Lucy. Not that he doesn’t want their help, he just does not want to get a lot of people’s hopes up, which Cana understood, in case the footnote advise failed. The leader of the Twelve Zodiacs knows that aside from Mirajane, Levy, Lisanna, Cana, and Erza, the whole guild thinks that Lucy and he should be together. After the past year of helping Lucy heal and move on from the heartbreak caused by Natsu, he has been an almost daily fixture in her life and at the guild. He was, and still is, a Fairy Tail mage after all and to Lucy, it didn’t seem odd that he keeps popping up and visiting. Thus, Cana had kept her mouth shut tight; as she was also grateful that the lion spirit had helped her locate her most prized ale. Besides, the rumors of them dating and hitting up bars together kept sleazy perverts away. Not that she needed help with defending herself, she just didn’t want to be bothered as often as she usually was when she was happily getting drunk.

 

Of course, Cana Alberona is not a blabbermouth. Not even once in her life had she let slip any secret even in her perpetually drunk state. However, on one very unfortunate mission with Lisanna and Natsu, her cards had failed to predict the movement of the woman they were hunting and she was hit with a paralyzing dart which contained a truth serum. While Natsu was busy fighting the female assassin, Lisanna had tended to her. Unfortunately, ten minutes into her paralysis, she was spouting all her darkest secrets to Lisanna. All her insecurities ever since she was a child, how she became a card mage, how she felt about being single at her age, her A-grade bed techniques with her hook-ups, and her recent ale hunting with the lion spirit brought on by her secret payment of a loophole in the Celestial Spirit Rulebook that she got from seducing the perverted Spirit King.

 

It just so happens that Natsu has managed to apprehend, meaning knock out, his opponent and arrived behind Lisanna and Cana right at that moment when the card mage spat out the loophole of the rulebook. Everybody calls Natsu dense but he knows that Loke really likes Lucy, and that Lucy had liked him a while back. However, being that he is a dragon slayer who knows that his mate is Lisanna, he had acted aloof and dense and pretended not to know anything about how Lucy feels. And since he has long since talked with Loke about the leader of the Zodiacs’ intentions with Lucy, he felt that he should be helping Loke solve his rulebook problem (A/N: Natsu feels like Lucy is a sister and a best friend in one). Knowing Lucy, she will be adamant that being romantically involved with her any of her contracted spirits is against the rules. So, before he announced his presence, he made up his mind that he’ll pester the lion spirit to let the dragon slayer help him; after all, Lucy and Loke are his nakama and they deserve happiness too.

 

Natsu stomped towards them and dropped the unconscious assassin beside the paralyzed card mage. Rummaging around the organized assassin’s pack, he found a small vial labeled skullcap and helped Lisanna administer it to Cana. Once the card mage regained use of her body and her balance, they made their way back to town and collected their pay. After dinner and Cana extracting a promise from Lisanna to never mention any of the secrets she told her to anyone, they settled into a hotel for a night and planned their trip back to Magnolia in the morning.

 

 

A few days after their return to Fairy Tail, Natsu has managed to corner Loke without any other dragon slayer in the guild. Loke was surprised to find out that Natsu only wanted to talk and not spar with him.

“Hey, Loke, I know you need to find a queen for moustache man.”

“What are you talking about Natsu?”

“I meant the rulebook loophole for you to be able to be with Lucy”

“W-what? Where did you hear that?” Loke froze and automatically counted the ways in which he can torture Cana for opening her mouth in front of the dragon slayer.

“Doesn’t matter. But what matters is that I approve of you and will help you find this Ambrosia queen for moustache man,” Natsu shrugged.

“Natsu, you can’t. Besides ambrosia isn’t a queen.”

“What?! But Cana said that it will give moustache man immense pleasure?!” the dragon slayer exclaimed.

“You mean to tell me that Cana told you about ambrosia?” the lion spirit adjusted his glasses.

“Ah, no. It’s actually because…”

 

Thus, Natsu told Loke the events surrounding Cana’s accidental secret spill and when the dragon slayer finished relaying the events, Loke sighed and decided that he might as well give the dragon slayer a chance to help him. After all, Natsu gave Lucy a lot of grief, maybe this is his way of making it up to her. He just prayed to whatever god he was under that this little loophole won’t reach the ears of anyone else.

 

 

Now, Lisanna, as much as she loved her brother and sister was such a great secret keeper. After all, it would not be fair to Cana who was under the influence of a drug when she spilled her deepest, darkest secrets. However, when she overheard Natsu and Loke talking about the loophole, she couldn’t help but be curious. She wanted to help them, of course, because Lucy was Natsu’s best friend aside from Happy and because the blonde mage had become a very important friend to her as well.

 

It wasn’t lost to her how Lucy felt awkward around her and Natsu at first and she understood the reason when, one day, she heard the blonde mage talking to the bluenette bookworm over her moving on process. At that time, she wanted to confront Lucy about it but did not want to make her feel even worse. So, despite being against gossiping, she decided to approach Levy. Though they grew up together in the most rambunctious guild, Levy and Lisanna wasn’t in each other’s social circles even before she was accidentally sent to Edolas. Aside from the occasional hi and hello, the white-haired takeover mage never really got to talk to the petite script mage. All that changed when they talked about what she overheard and Levy helped both girls navigate the awkward situation they landed in. From then on, it was a smooth sailing friendship for the three of them.

 

All things considered, Lisanna believes that Lucy is the reason she became close friends with Levy who has become an indispensable wealth of bedroom knowledge when it comes to dealing with dragon slayers. That is why she believes that she should be involved in the search for that ambrosia that Cana mentioned.

 

After Natsu left Loke, Lisanna met up with him and confessed the things she overheard. She also insisted that she be a part of the “quest to Lucy and Loke’s happiness”. Natsu agreed, albeit reluctantly, and accompanied his mate to the brooding lion spirit. Again, the leader of the Zodiac wasn’t happy that there was another person to be involved, but he did understand that they both wanted Lucy to be happy. For them, the lion spirit would be the key to their favorite blonde’s happiness.

 

 

Since the new trio decided to go on a search for the Spirit King’s Ambrosia, as they decided to call it, they decided to get the help of two wonderful assets. The brunette card mage, who managed to find out the rulebook secret, and the best researcher of the guild, the bluenette script mage and resident bookworm. Levy McGarden easily agreed while Cana Alberona only agreed as she felt guilty about letting the secret slip.

 

It was difficult for them to conduct their research as the celestial spirit mage was always around Levy and she always took notice of her lion spirit’s key going cold and his gate opening. Thus, they decided to create a code for this specific quest they were on. After all, they didn’t want Lucy to be suspicious of her friends.

 

With Lisanna and Levy, it was easy to create a cover of them talking about bedroom secrets. As they were dragon slayers’ mates, it was awkward and annoying for Lucy to hear them talk about those stuff; of course, Cana always manages to butt in during those moments. Levy and Lisanna are one thing but when Cana starts talking, Lucy almost always faints with her vulgarity. It was easy to get the blonde mage to leave when that happens and once she’s gone, they talk about the ambrosia.

 

Obviously, Lisanna and Natsu being all lovey-dovey and having couple talks made the perfect cover for them to talk about the ambrosia with Lucy being none the wiser. With Natsu always off about challenging Loke, it became easier to relay messages between each other. The blonde mage doesn’t even bat an eyelash any more when the two males go off to spar.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It took them a few months of research and a couple of false hopes before they landed a promising lead. With a promise of an uninterrupted girls’ spa retreat for a week, Lisanna and Levy managed to convince Lucy to join them and extract a promise from Loke that he won’t pop in unannounced at all. The blonde mage conceded, that the lion spirit may open his own gate anytime to drop by the guild as long as he left her alone for the week. A moment of depression and several tears (from Loke) later, Lucy was off to the train station with her girlfriends.

 

An hour later, Cana, Natsu, and Loke were off to the mountains in search of the ambrosia. They traveled for about half a day to reach the mountain range on the western border of Fiore and settled in for the night. Tomorrow, the unusual trio will start the trek in search of the golden fruit on the highest peak. Obviously, this ambrosia has got to be difficult to reach as it is there to deter people and spirits with evil intentions.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing style has changed at this point in time. It had been at least a year since I wrote the 5th chapter and it evidently shows on this chapter. It will change again in the later chapters because I had another year break between them. Or at least half a year break.  
>  
> 
> References:  
> http://herbslist.net/ - Skullcap is not an antidote for paralysis, though it is sometimes used to treat ADHD and Parkinson’s, as well as helping with joint pains, I do not advise anyone to take it. Please see your doctor before taking any herbal medication if you are taking prescription medicines, alcohol, or recreational drugs. Herbal medication may enhance or may impede prescription drugs and may cause severe adverse effects such as liver failure, kidney failure, respiratory depression, cardiac arrest. Skullcap has only been used in this fanfic as it is the closest remedy I can get.
> 
> http://drugs.com/                                       http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/
> 
> P.S. Sodium thiopental is a paralyzing agent that can be used as a truth serum, it is under the class of barbiturates which has no official reversal agent (antidote) but Naloxone can be used for the side effects of respiratory depression and sedation.
> 
> P.P.S. Also, if you are having difficulties with your addictions, you may join support groups or rehab facilities or you may send me a private message. Sometimes, our addictions are a way to escape reality or to deal with depression. If you need someone to talk to and do not want to call a suicide hotline or see a psychiatrist, drop me a line. As I mentioned above, I had some major life events and it helped that I had someone to talk to.
> 
> http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
> 
> https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/contact-the-lifeline/


	7. Up the Mountain and Down the Pit we go.

**_Up The Mountain And Down The Pit We Go_ **

 

 

Loke, Natsu, and Cana finished packing up their gear and left their payment with the half-asleep receptionist of the small inn they stayed at. The village of Pan was a two-hour walk from the last train station at Oak Town in the western border of Fiore. It was where the nearest path they could climb to reach the highest peak started.

 

Per Levy’s research, there was a tree atop the highest peak that defied the climate and low oxygen atmosphere which bore silver leaves and strange rainbow flowers that nestled a golden fruit. From the flowers, a sweet nectar can be harvested and when mixed with the pulp of the golden fruit, it creates a most pleasurable aphrodisiac that even gods cannot resist. This legendary aphrodisiac was considered as ambrosia, or drink of the gods. It is believed that only one being was able to attain the golden fruit and rainbow flowers; a human being who, upon consumption of the ambrosia, was enveloped in a golden light and ascended to the heavens to be part of the night sky.

 

The villagers of Pan heralded a belief that this being became the king of the stars and every year, a determined person would attempt to recreate the ascension. They would climb the highest peak but no one ever came close to the top. The oxygen levels where too low for anyone to survive, thus they were brought back down by rescue teams. Of course, the villagers warned these of the mages but the three were very much determined to reach the top. Unbeknownst to the villagers, one of the mages wasn’t actually human.

 

\------------------------------------

 

All mages packed enough provisions to last them a week or two at the most. Considering the dragon slayer’s appetite, it might be able to last them a few couple of days. Natsu lead the team with his sharp senses while Cana occasionally got her cards to tell them which fork in the road they should follow. Loke brought up the rear reserved his energy for the anticipated last leg of the journey. The three of them knew that Loke had to complete the last miles by himself as the oxygen levels at the peak would not allow Cana and Natsu to continue. 

 

The journey, though strenuous, was not without joy. Both Cana and Natsu ribbing the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs of his love life, or lack thereof. Cana did not believe that Loke could restrain himself that much for a year, or rather that Lucy did not give in to the (former) playboy’s seduction. Natsu, on the other hand, was incredibly proud that Lucy did not give in to the lion spirit’s tactics. Though the blonde celestial spirit mage dressed provocatively, Natsu knows that she is incredibly shy and insecure. Being brought up as an heiress to a vast amount of fortune, his best friend was treated like a prized possession up for trade to the highest bidder. When this was brought up, all three of them were glad that Lucy left the Heartfilia manor and made it into Fairy Tail.

 

“You know, Natsu, I think it’s amazing that you came across Lucy and brought her back to Fairy Tail,” Cana remarked.

“Yeah, if you hadn’t brought her back at that time, maybe I’d have already disappeared from this world,” Loke smiled sadly as he recalled his numbered days of existence.

“You do know that she’d have found her way to us eventually, right?” Natsu asked.

“Yeah, I did read it in my cards that she’s coming.”

“But still, if she arrived a little late, Leo will no longer exist as punishment for what I did to Karen.”

“Come on now guys, it’s all in the past!” Natsu exclaimed, “We’ve got to move forward and get moustache man’s ambrosia so you can be with Luce.”

They all agreed and continued their, so far uneventful, journey.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

The group decided to take a break for lunch to rest and refresh themselves. As Cana relieved herself, Natsu and Loke prepared their lunch. After a hearty meal and an hour of rest, the three mages resumed the trek. They made use of the remaining hours of daylight and was able to reach a plateau with a network of caves. As much as they wanted to stay away from the caves, they could not brave the unpredictable mountain weather. With a consensus, they camped in a shallow cave not connected to the others but still able to shield them from the elements.

 

They established a watch schedule wherein Loke took the first watch. His peaceful watch ended and he went to wake Cana for her shift. The card mage brought her blanket with her near the foot of the cave and counted down the hours. Half way through her shift, Cana noticed movement through the fog. Readying her battle cards, she held her breath and counted the slowly materializing figures. 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… Eight creatures. Two were big and hulking, three had horns and wings, two smaller creatures but she couldn’t discredit them yet, and the last one was not only huge but also had long and sharp claws.

 

As much as she’d like to hope that these creatures would go on their merry way and leave them be, she knows that it would too much to hope for. She felt Natsu shift and go on alert while nudging Loke awake. That was good, she didn’t have to start the fight alone, Cana thought. Loke and Natsu, on full battle mode, joined Cana at the cave entrance and waited for their opponents to come closer.

 

Twenty meters away, Natsu and Loke lit up their fists while Cana’s cards danced around her. All three of them charged at their opponents, the dragon slayer took out two with his Fire Dragon’s Roar while Cana managed to incapacitate one of the winged creatures. Loke knocked out two more with his Regulus Impact as Natsu battled it out with one of the big beasts. The card mage turned to battle the smaller creature who was just crawling on all fours.

 

Cana’s opponent resembled a komodo dragon with a furry mane, it stood on its hind legs and took a swipe at the brunette. The card mage was able to dodge the angry swipe and activated a couple of bomb cards. “Natsu! That beast’s weak spot is his armpits!” Cana heard Loke call out to Natsu as she activated a Bisca and Alzack card to fire off bullets on her opponent. She dodged a spiked tail and managed to summon an Elfman card to wrestle with the beast. While her card Elfman pinned the enemy, she called out her Evergreen card and used the Medusa stare. The komodo-like beast turned to stone and shattered when Loke threw the clawed monster through it. After their battle, they decided to set fire to the corpses and threw them off the side of the cliff. Too tired from the fight, Natsu took over for the remainder of the night (early morning), and Cana didn’t even argue.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Cana awoke to the smell of cooking meat. She opened her eyes and found Natsu tending to meat strips cooking over the campfire.

 

“Oi, Cana, you’re awake. Go wash up, these’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“Where’s Loke?”

“Scouting the perimeter”

“Why? Do you think there’s more of those creatures?”

“Yep. We’re almost at the summit anyway.”

“How can you tell, Natsu?”

“The air’s starting to smell different. Besides, there’s too much moisture up here.”

 

The card mage nodded her acknowledgement and left the dragon slayer to do her business. When she came back, she found her male companions already eating. They handed Cana her share and continued munching on their meat. Once they finished their meal and packed up their gear, the trio went on their way. A couple of hours later, they arrived at another fork in the road. Natsu determined that both ways had the same smell of the monsters they battled the night before. Thus, Cana took to her cards and they elected to follow the path on the left.

 

The same pattern continued until dusk, Cana determining their paths by way of cards while Natsu continued to scent the beasts they encountered the night before. At nightfall, the group decided to make camp in the clearing. No cave was in sight and the meadow was large enough for them to battle in case another group of monsters appear. They were all on high alert. Despite the established watch schedule, the three mages could hardly get a wink of sleep. The mountain was gloomy and they were uneasy; they changed shifts as per routine but the night continued to be uneventful despite its listlessness.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

Two days passed in the same fashion. The group remained on high alert as they neared the summit. They followed the watch schedule and the same pattern of their journey. On the 2nd evening, they found another cave on the side of the mountain where they decided to rest for the night. As Loke prepared for the start of his watch, the earth beneath them suddenly rumbled and fell apart. Caught unawares, the three of them fell with the cave floor.

 

The lion spirit was the first to rouse. He went to check on both of his companions and found them unharmed. Cana came to with a groan and Natsu followed and lit up a fireball in his hand. Once they verified that they did not have any broken bones or significant injuries, they started to talk about their course of action. The air in the pit was stale; the dragon slayer determined that the cave floor collapse was just a natural phenomenon, the mountain had been moving and reshaping itself over a thousand years.

 

“Well, we have to move soon. I don’t know if the cave above will be the only one to collapse.”

“Natsu’s right. We need to move. I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“It’s not just the stale air or the thinning oxygen levels. Neither is it because of the monsters. It seems the ambrosia tree is refusing to be found.”

“Don’t give up, Loke! We’ll find it. We just have to climb our way out of this pit.”

“Hey, you guys! Look!” Cana indicated for them to look to the side of the pit.

“Turn off your fire, Natsu”

 

The dragon slayer complied and terminated his fireball. Once he did so, the pit glowed a soft green-blue hue. The stalactites and stalagmites were lighting up. Amazed, the trio looked up and found that the ceiling was too high. They looked around and Cana spotted small opening to their right. It seemed to be a path or a doorway. On the other end, the glowing rocks continued to shine. Shrugging their anxiety, the three mages picked up their stuff and followed the light.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written half a year after chapter 6. You can see some subtle changes in the style though I tried hard to stick to my previous style.


	8. The Mystical Tree

**_The Mystical Tree_ **

 

 

Loke, Natsu, and Cana followed the glowing stalactites and stalagmites for a while. They noticed that the darker the path gets, the brighter the stones glowed. Occasionally, they’ll see a bright pink stalactite and stalagmite forming a column which they decided is a good sign. “Maybe we’ll reach the tree faster,” they all thought to themselves while praying that they won’t get lost.

 

“Nobody from the village ever said that there was an underground cave in the mountain,” Cana remarked.

“Well, maybe not one of the previous men fell underneath,” Loke quipped sarcastically as Cana rolled her eyes.

“Yo, Natsu, you think we’re getting any closer?” the card mage asked.

“I can’t tell, the air’s still stale. I don’t smell any of the monsters’ scents though. Maybe we are getting close.”

“Well, hopefully we can reach the end of this tunnel soon. I want to find this tree so we can start getting Lucy and this grumpy old tiger together,” the brunette snickered while Loke grumbled, “I’m a lion, not a tiger” earning him a hearty laugh from his companions.

 

The tunnel sloped eventually and they started to ascend. Natsu verbalized that he’s starting to smell fresh air wafting from the direction they were going and both Cana and Loke gave thanks that the end of the glowing tunnel was nearing.

 

“The villagers should consider mining these glowing rocks. Should bring them more money than duping people into hiking the mountains,” Cana said as she easily stepped over a tripping hazard.

“It makes me wonder how those people survived the monsters. I mean, we’re mages and we had a hard time defeating the monsters,” she continued.

“They didn’t reach that part of the mountain,” Natsu verbalized.

“What do you mean, Natsu?” Cana and Loke asked simultaneously.

“I didn’t smell any human trace up the mountain. And even if it’s because years passed since the last hiker, there’s no proof that any human made it up half of the mountain.” Natsu shrugged and continued walking.

 

\----------------------------

 

“So, you mean to say that the villagers thought all of the men who went up the mountain wasn’t able to continue because of the lack of oxygen actually didn’t reach even half of the way?” Cana asked incredulously.

“But Levy’s research says the same thing,” Loke said, “that due to poor survival conditions, there’s actually no real proof of the tree existing at the top.”

“Yeah, but maybe the tree wouldn’t be at the peak,” Natsu looked behind him to indicate to the others to look above.

All three mages looked up and saw an upside-down tree. Exactly the same as the books and villagers described, a tree with silver leaves and rainbow flowers that was surrounded by glowing stalactites.

 

“That’s it! How’d you know it was there?” Loke asked the dragon slayer.

“The air smelled different,” Natsu shrugged, “it smelled fresh and there’s a certain sweetness to it.”

“That’s amazing, Natsu!” Cana exclaimed and excitedly hugged her two companions.

“Well then, we gotta figure out how to get up there and get the golden fruit and those flowers!”

“We can try to climb, but I don’t think those rocks up there have any footholds.”

“Yeah, it looks like they’re smooth all over.”

“I think this is the reason why nobody ever found the tree. It’s underneath the mountain after all,” Loke said as her perused their surroundings.

“Maybe Virgo can help us?” Natsu asked hopefully.

“I don’t think so. The old geezer told me that this should be done without using the spirit’s powers. He said that the last time someone called a spirit to help them, they got electrocuted by the tree,” Cana sighed.

“Wait, what?!” Loke did a double take at Cana, “You never mentioned that spirits can’t get near this tree.”

“I said that it was when someone summoned a spirit to get the fruit.”

“Then, how do you propose I get the fruit? Are you forgetting I’m a spirit, Cana?”

 

Loke’s voice was rising as the pair continued arguing over the small fact that Cana forgot to mention while Natsu continued to look at their surroundings. The dragon slayer noted something amiss with the tree, “Hey guys,” he tried to get their attention to no avail.

 

“Hey you guys!” he shouted at them which got the lion spirit and card mage to shut up.

“What, Natsu?” both irked by each other took out their annoyance at the dragon slayer.

“We have company,” the dragon slayer lit up his fists and took a defensive stance.

Cana and Loke looked up and found that there were multiple eyes looking down on them from above.

 

\----------------------------------------------  

 

“Tell me those are just bats,” Cana pleaded as she readied her cards.

“Can’t lie to you, I wish the same thing,” Loke adjusted his glasses and crouched low.

“I counted 5 pairs of eyes. Either belongs to 5 monsters or less”

“Don’t even think about setting fire to the tree, you idiot fire breather”

“I’m not stupid, Cana, we didn’t go here to burn that tree down,” the dragon slayer huffed, annoyed.

“Well, you can’t blame us, you do tend to destroy everything”

“Jeez, you guys, I won’t ruin Loke’s chance to be with Luce. She’s my best friend, I want her to be happy!” Natsu grumbled as he noticed some shifting towards his left, 2 pairs of eyes slowly moved towards a giant column.

 

“Here we go!”

The slow-moving pairs of eyes approached Natsu and as it revealed its’ razor sharp teeth and green slime covered body, another set of eyes jumped down from the ceiling. This one had looked like a giant harpy, only with enormous bat wings, sharply curved talons, and an ugly disfigured face. It shrieked at the group which signaled for the fight to begin. Natsu confronted the slimy monster as Loke faced off with the horribly disfigured harpy.

 

Cana, meanwhile, was left to battle the centipede-like creature with two heads both containing sharp teeth. One head was spitting acid-like gunk that melted a nearby stalagmite while the other head kept lunging at the card mage. The enormous cavern was filled with sound of battle and monsters screeching. The brunette managed to capture the acid-spitting head in her Freed card’s rune cage while her Laxus card delivered blow after lightning blow to it. As she was busy with that head #1, as she dubbed them, head #2 lunged at her and scraped her thigh when she attempted to dodge. The card mage activated her Mirajane Devil Soul card to battle head #2 as she limped off to one side to address her bleeding thigh.

 

Natsu managed to create a flaming monster when he sent out his fire dragon’s wing attack towards the slimy creature. Unfortunately for him, the monster didn’t seem fazed by being set aflame and continued to pursue him. The slime monster’s tail, that was covered in spikes, rushed towards the dragon slayer who managed to avoid it; Natsu’s evasive technique got him into a position to send a roar into the monster’s open mouth. Apparently, the monster wasn’t fireproof inside as it writhed on itself as it combusted.

 

As the slimy creature struggled in its dying moment, Natsu rushed to kill off the two-headed centipede the card mage was battling. “Karyu no Saiga!” the dragon slayer yelled as he sent the centipede flying. Once he was sure both monsters were dead, he scrambled to Cana’s side and helped her bandage her thigh.

 

\----------------------------------

 

The leader of the Twelve Zodiacs cast his Lion Brilliance thereby temporarily blinding the harpy. Throwing a melee of attacks towards the disfigured creature, Loke forced her to a corner as she blindly screeched and clawed at her opponent. The celestial spirit sent her crumbling after being hit by his Regulus impact. As the disfigured harpy lay dying, she managed to tell the lion spirit the secret of the Tree of Ambrosia.

 

“F-foolish spirit, the ambrosia y-you s-seek,” she coughed up green blood as she continued to speak, “will on-only bring y-you s-s-sorrow.”

“The Spirit King will grant me one wish when I offer it to him,” Loke spoke harshly as he caught his breath.

“Yesss,” the harpy hissed, “you w-wish to b-b-be with a g-girl. B-but for y-y-you to be tog-g-ge-ther, one must-must…” the creature gave off a last rattling breath and became still.

“Must what?!” Loke, realizing that the creature will not answer, kicked the dead harpy and went off in search of his companions.

 

Loke found Natsu helping Cana onto his back. The lion spirit noticed the bandaged thigh of the card mage and inquired if she wanted to go back to town, Cana refused and said that she wants to see this journey of theirs to the end. The ginger-haired man kept his mouth shut about the conversation between him and the harpy. After all, there’s no point in worrying about things dead people said.

 

 The trio decided to search the cavern for footholds to use in climbing. According to Natsu’s sharp vision, there were very few fruits among the branches of the upside-down tree. As per his tally, there were only 6 fruits nestled among leaves and branches and they were all spread out. Cana retrieved Levy’s research notes from her pack and looked at the instructions for the ambrosia mixture. “We need three of those fruits and 10 flowers’ nectar. We also need a small branch and a couple of leaves, Levy said that the fire used to make the ambrosia should be made from the tree branches and leaves. Loke, you have the iron bowl from the spirit world, right?”

“Yes, it’s in my pack. Natsu, you think you can throw me high enough? I think these stalagmites and stalactites won’t have any footholds.”

“Eh? We can try,” Natsu looked up from his search, disbelief on his face. It would be hard to throw a full-sized man at that distance, but he can probably use a fireless roar to propel Loke upwards.

“Well, that’s settled then. Let’s try getting the ingredients first,” Cana said as she prepared a rock pit to build the fire in.

 

\----------------------------------------------

 

The first attempt in getting to the tree was way off, Natsu wasn’t able to put enough force into his thrust which left Loke flailing in the air about a quarter of the way from the tree. After debating the level of force and air thrust they needed, the dragon slayer and the lion spirit set about getting to work. A hard throw and a roar later, Loke was hanging onto a sturdy branch of the tree. The three mages cheered and Loke went on to retrieve their ingredients. Making sure to not squeeze the golden fruits and smash the rainbow flowers, Loke jumped down into Natsu and Cana’s make shift net.

 

Trying to get the fire started without help from Natsu’s flames was proving to be a little difficult. The silver leaves weren’t catching and the branch would not light as quickly as they thought. Cana took over the fire building as Loke was getting frustrated. To their surprise, the fire caught on as quickly as Cana rubbed the branch twigs together. Moving on to the next part of the recipe, Loke sliced the fruits and squeezed their juices out. Meanwhile, Cana extracted the nectar from the flowers and gave the petals to Natsu to mash. They combined the ingredients in the iron bowl and set it over the flames.

 

Stirring slowly, the concoction gradually turned thicker and into a golden color. They transferred it to a small clear flask and let it cool for a while. Once ready, they decided that Loke should go back to the Spirit Realm directly from the cave. The celestial spirit refused initially and said that he should at least join Natsu and Cana on the journey back to the village. Both card mage and dragon slayer was adamant in their decision.

“You have to go, Loke, we’ll be fine,” Cana insisted.

“But Cana, you’re injured! Natsu can’t carry you and fight at the same time if those monsters appear again!”

“What are you talking about, Loke? I can do that fine on my own,” Natsu argued.

 

In the end, Loke left for the spirit realm with a promise that he’ll come find them as soon as he can. They had agreed that both mages will rest at the village for a day and then return to Magnolia with or without the lion spirit. After all, time in the spirit realm moves slowly compared to Earthland.

 

The trip back to the village was uneventful; and since they were no longer conserving resources and energy, Natsu sprinted as fast as he could with Cana on his back. The villagers had asked about their third companion but they refused to speak as they didn’t want anyone to know they succeeded. They had to keep this journey a secret until they get the news. In their silence, the villagers elected to believe that the group of mages lost their friend and left them alone to “mourn”.

 

\----------------------------------------------

 

A day and a half passed as Natsu tended to the injured Cana; once they were sure that the wound was healed enough and will not reopen, both mages opted to start their journey back to Magnolia. Both mages arrived two days after Lisanna, Lucy, and Levy got back from their retreat; with their luck, Lucy had already gone home to rest up. The youngest Strauss and the tiny solid script mage were waiting with bated breath at the guild for good news, the two mages could not disappoint their nakama and proceeded to regale them with tales of their journey. A couple of beers (barrels for Cana) later, they concluded their epic tale by saying that the ball is in the lion spirit’s hand. After procuring the ambrosia, Loke who sought an audience with the Spirit King had yet to return.

 

According to Levy, Lucy hasn’t called for Loke yet but did call for the Virgin Maiden. When Virgo popped up, the Celestial Spirit Mage had been told that the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs was currently in a closed-door meeting with the King regarding reviews of spirit realm laws. This did pique the interest of the former heiress but all curiosity was shut down by the maid spirit when she said that only the King, the Leader of the Zodiacs, and the other heads of constellations were allowed within. Lucy respected their laws thereby resolving to wait until Loke comes back on his own after the meeting. This, sadly, left the rest of them anxious for any news.

 

Days passed and life went back to routine for the guild. Lucy came back from another C-class mission with Lisanna, they had been asked to come back to the kindergarten they previously helped with to investigate the case of a missing teacher. After discovering that the teacher had eloped and ran away to Bosco, the school decided to hire a new staff. Their return had been delayed after receiving an invitation to a play the students put on in their honor as both mages were well-loved by the children. Upon their return, they joined Natsu and Happy at the dining area, talking amiably with the exceed and dragon slayer. Lucy suddenly noticed the warming sensation that accompanied a spirit gate’s opening. In a flash of light, Capricorn had appeared, “Lucy-hime, the king requests your presence.”

 


	9. An Audience

**_An Audience with The King_ **

 

~ _Quick Flashback_ ~

Lucy suddenly noticed the warming sensation that accompanied a spirit gate’s opening. In a flash of light, Capricorn had appeared, “Lucy-hime, the king requests your presence.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ --------------------------------------

 

“Huh? What does the Spirit King want?” Lucy tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“It is an urgent matter that the King has deemed worthy of your attention,” the goat adjusted his suit and tie as he awaited his mistress.

“Did he say why he needed me?” the mage asked to which she received a shake of his head.

“No. He only instructed me to bring you back to the spirit realm,” the spirit extended his hand towards her, “Shall we, Hime?”

“Oh, okay, I hope this won’t take long.” Lucy bid the others goodbye as she accepted her spirit’s proffered hand.

 

In a blinding flash, they were gone from Earthland and flickered into existence in the spirit realm. When Lucy opened her eyes, she was staring at a huge set of pearlescent double doors in her Capricorn star dress form. “Apologies, Lucy-hime, we were in such a rush that I failed to bring you clothes from the celestial spirit realm. Thus, I just used the star dress form. I believe that you won’t stay long for this matter anyway. If you do, the Spirit King himself will see to it that you are well looked after.”

“That’s okay, thank you, Capricorn,” Lucy smiled at her mother’s most trusted spirit as he held the door open for her.

“The Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy of Fairy Tail,” Capricorn announced in a booming voice as Lucy stepped forwards.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The first thing Lucy noticed was that it was a huge room, styled as her late father’s conference room with high-backed chairs and a darkly polished mahogany table. The next thing she noticed was the table occupants, sitting on the head of the table is Spirit King in all his armored-regalia. To his right sat at ancient being dressed with royal purple and black colored robes, his long silver hair braided loosely and adorned with two horns curving backwards reaching his waist. To the King’s left was young-looking female with fiery hair and bright golden eyes beautifully contrasted by her porcelain skin and a toga with the shades of sunset. Next to the horned being sat a ruggedly gorgeous man with hair as black as a raven’s plume with silver eyes. Oddly enough, this man wore a navy pinstripe suit which contrasted wildly with the three other occupants of the table. The modernly dressed man fixed her a scowl as fierce as Natsu’s when facing an enemy.

 “Old friend, welcome once again,” the Spirit King beckoned Lucy to come closer and gestured for her to take a seat. The blonde mage obliged and sat opposite of his imposing figure. “Shall we start, then?”

“My King, I think it is best if you introduce us first,” the fiery redhead spoke softly yet clearly, her voice like chiming bells.

“Ah, yes, yes indeed! Old friend, these are my council. Spirits in charge of their clusters, much like your Leo over there at the back.” It was then that Lucy noticed Loki standing to the back of the room. “Lucy of Fairy Tail, daughter of Layla Heartfilia, descendant of Anna Heartfilia, meet Draco, Lupus, and Phoenix”

 

“Welcome, Lucy of Fairy Tail,” the ancient being spoke loud and clear as if he was a man in his prime.

“It is an honor to meet the descendant of Anna, the greatest Celestial spirit mage who initiated opening the Eclipse Gate, and the daughter of Layla, whom the Eclipse Gate opened 400 years into the ethernano-rich future. Or rather, past now as the present time is you here with us,” the fiery redhead addressed her while the other man glared at her and addressed his queries to the rest of the council, “I still do not see the necessity of bringing a mortal into our midst, my King.”

“Hush, Lupus, this matter concerns her as a wizard who wields celestial gate keys,” Draco placed a hand over the raven-haired man’s shoulder.

“I am both honored and humbled to make the acquaintance of powerful beings as yourself. However, I don’t understand why I’m here. What is this matter that you guys speak of?” Lucy made eye contact with each member of the council before settling her curious gaze towards the Spirit King.

 

“My child, permit me a query before we delve into the topic at hand,” Draco addressed her, “what do you know of mortal and spirit relations?” here she noticed her silent sentinel Loke stiffen.

“You mean the contract between the spirit and key wielder?”

“No, my dear, we mean the relationship between mage and spirit,” Phoenix smiled encouragingly at Lucy.

“Well, that depends on the agreed upon contract, right? I know that sometimes mage and spirit become friends but also that there are other mages who enslave their spirits instead of considering them as partners.”

“Ah yes, but that is not our point in this question. Let me put it this way, my dear Lucy,” the redhead commanded her attention, “If a celestial spirit who is under contract with a celestial spirit mage asks to be released from their status as spirit, how would you interpret that?”

“Do you mean, they want to choose mortality over their own infinite existence?”

“Yes”

“Well, I guess, it depends on the nature of the request. What was the reasoning behind it? How would it affect mage and spirit contract? I get that it would be voided of course but, will there be a timeline? Will they suddenly cease to become spirit with the contract voided, or will it be through a process?” Lucy rambled on until she was cut off by Lupus.

“This is taking too much time, why not just tell her the true reason why she is here,” Lupus sneered, “it’ll make our lives a hell of a lot easier.”

“Now, now, Lupus dear, this is a delicate matter. We do not want any rushed and unbecoming decisions,” Phoenix clucked her tongue and tutted at the wolf as Draco and the Spirit King sighed.

 

Lucy looked around the table at the ancient and majestic spirits and finally, set her gaze on her powerful lion. The mage sent an inquisitive look towards the Leader of the Twelve Zodiacs which caused him to stiffen. Loke heaved a sigh and addressed the council, “If I may, your majesty, will you permit me to converse with Lucy? I believe it is more fitting if I gave her an explanation of the circumstance that brought her here.”

The council members appraised the lion spirit as the Spirit King acquiesced, “My boy, if you had sought her out first before coming to me, then this might have been sorted out faster than the confounding meeting we have conducted. I will send both of you back to Earthland for now, as time goes slower in our realm, 2 days have passed in Earthland. Come see me once you have discussed this among yourselves.” The Spirit King waved him forward to collect Lucy and dismissed the council. Three ancient spirits bowed in deference and blinked out of existence, the King bade Lucy farewell as Loke collected her. The blonde mage sat dumbfounded and more confused over the short session but followed the lion spirit nonetheless. They entered his gate and reappeared in her home a moment later.

 

\------------------

 

“So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Lucy rounded on the lion spirit once they landed in her room.

“Hmm, don’t you want to eat first, Princess?”

“Don’t even try to change the subject, Loke. What was that about? Why did they call me?” the blonde mage poked his chest but flushed red to the tips of her ears when her stomach grumbled loudly.

“Well, you know, you’ve been out of Earthland for 2 days. It would do you a lot of good if you eat first then we can discuss it.” Loke smiled softly at his master and ushered her to the kitchen where he prepared a quick and simple meal for her.

 

A full belly and a satisfied smile later, Lucy asked Loke again what the summons was about. Loke huffed as he finished drying the dishes and turned towards her. Fidgeting, he began his explanation.

 

\-----

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut the chapter short. Since it has been five years since I originally wrote the first chapter, I lost my plot. From Chapter 6 onwards, I struggled on how to end the fic. I didn't want to abandon it. When I reached chapter 10, I finally realized what ending I wanted. Then, I struggled for a while to write it. But I've already finished the story at this point in time that I am posting it on AO3. So read on for the next chapters and the ending.


	10. The Truth of the Matter

**_The Truth of the Matter_ **

 

_~Quick Flashback~_

_“Well, you know, you’ve been out of Earthland for 2 days. It would do you a lot of good if you eat first then we can discuss it,” Loke smiled softly at his master and ushered her to the kitchen where he prepared a quick and simple meal for her._

_A full belly and a satisfied smile later, Lucy asked Loke again what the summons was about. Loke huffed as he finished drying the dishes and turned towards her. Fidgeting, he began his explanation._

\------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------

 

Lucy has noticed that her usual valiant and romantic lion is nervous all throughout dinner. He paid her no mind as she mentioned it, dismissing her casually and encouraging her to eat more. The blonde mage knows when someone is purposefully delaying the inevitable. Calling to mind the conversation she had with the Spirit King and his council, Lucy remembers Phoenix and Draco’s query as to how she would perceive a celestial spirit’s request of freedom from their immortal form.

 

The celestial spirit mage suddenly feels suffocated, thinking that Loke, or one of her other spirits are not happy with her and is requesting reprieve from their contract with her. She recounts all their encounters and tries to analyze what she did that could cause one or all of them to want to leave her behind. Was it when she sacrificed Aquarius? Or when they fought during the Eclipse?

 

She does not notice when tears fill her eyes but Loke certainly does. He kneels before her, gently waking her from her reverie, “Lucy, Princess, why are you crying?”

“I-I’m not crying,” Lucy smiles and tries to deny the existence of her tears but Loke does not buy it. Instead, he gathers her into his arms and turns them around so she sits on his lap with her face buried in the crook of his neck. He rubs soothing circles on her back and murmurs soft reassurances, Loke does not understand what brought on the wave of tears but he will do anything to stop it.

 

\---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

 

Once Lucy calms down enough, she wraps her arms around him and squeezes tightly, “Please don’t leave me tonight, Loke.”

He nods his assent and whispers, “I won’t. I never will.” She pulls back and gives him watery smile, he wipes away her tears and nuzzles her forehead. “Will you tell me why you cried?” he asks tentatively, softly.

Lucy takes a sharp inhale of breath, with her shoulders shaking slightly, she asks him, “Why did the Spirit King and his council summon me, Loke?” He opens his mouth a few times but no sound comes out. She takes the opportunity to ask a question she dreaded before she lost her nerve, “Do any of you guys want to leave me? Did I do something wrong? Will any of you break our contracts?” her eyes started to water again and Loke figures out the cause of the tears.

“No, princess, no. Lucy,” he kisses her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, then her nose. “Lucy, princess, none of us wants to leave you.”

“Then why did they ask me how I’d interpret a spirit’s request of freedom from their immortal form?”

“Princess, I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d take it to mean it that way. That we’d want to leave you. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, Loke? And how was I supposed to take that question?”

 

His beautiful blonde master with deep and understanding chocolate eyes, the leader of the twelve Zodiacs ask himself why he let her misinterpret the summons. He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his ginger locks, sighing resignedly, “Oh, Lucy, I was an idiot. I should have talked to you first.”

“What do you mean?”

 

\---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

 

“Remember when Lisanna and Levy took you to the spa resort?”

At this, Lucy furrows her brows but nods her head indicating that she does recall but is unable to see how that was related to the situation.

“Do you also remember when there were rumors flying around about Cana and myself hooking up? You were mad at me for a while and I didn’t know what I did. The guild was like walking around daggers when Cana, you, and me were in the hall for quite some time. But then you said to Bixlow that it wasn’t any of your business who I decided to sleep with. And suddenly, it dawned on me that you were jealous.”

Lucy blushed furiously at the reminder, especially when she recalled how Cana dismissed her jealousy and how Loke confronted her about it. Seeing her blush, Loke continued.

“Well, they’re related in a way. Lisanna and Levy took you to the resort so we could investigate a claim that Cana told me when we were looking for her special ale.”

 

The celestial spirit mage looked even more confused that Loke backtracked, “Oh, right, let me go back to the root of all this.”

Noting her attentiveness, Loke tucked a stray hair behind her ear and continued his explanation.

“I love you, Lucy. Before you interrupt me, this is true. I’m not just flirting with you. I do love you. It might’ve started when you saved me from myself. I was willing to die after all I did to Karen, but you made me see reason. You were my salvation. Sure, at first I was just flirting… but somewhere along the way, I realized that I really loved you.” Loke smiled at her and kissed her forehead, “That was why we investigated Cana’s claim. We took to the mountains and found the ingredients for an ambrosia. That ambrosia, when presented to the Spirit King, will give you a free pass to wish anything you want of him.”

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

Lucy absorbed all of the knowledge he presented her with as she snuggled into his arms. She knew that Loke loved her, and if she was being honest with herself, she had fallen in love with him too. Quite a while back, to be perfectly honest, but she knows that they could not be together. Lucy was mortal, she will die and her keys would pass on to the next mage.

Loke would live forever, exist in the endless sky, shining brightly in his constellation, his cluster of stars. It would be cruel of her to torment him into loving her then leaving him when her time comes.

 

Then she realized what he said, ‘ _a free pass to wish anything you want of him’,_ did that mean that he wanted to leave his immortality behind just for her? Her eyes widened as she sought his out, “Loke, do you want to become mortal?” she asked him.

“For you, Princess, I will be anything. But yes, I do. I want to be with you, Lucy.”

“Have you made that wish already?”

“No, not yet. I told the Spirit King, yes, but he said that even if I gave him the ambrosia, he cannot easily grant my wish as I was bound under contract. Aside from that, it was the fact that I am part of the Twelve Zodiacs. Chaos may follow if the lion leaves so swiftly.”

“That was why he called me? Because you had a contract with me.”

“No.”

“No? Then why did he call me?”

 

“Because, Lucy, it’s you. Your bloodline is powerful enough. Your ancestors were the first to become celestial spirit mages. And you were the only mage to have ever been selfless enough to call the Spirit King for the salvation of the world even if it meant sacrificing Aquarius.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, if it was another mage involved, they will not bother calling them. The contract will be null and void just as easily as a snap of the fingers. But because it’s you that I want to be with and it’s you I have a contract with, they have decided to call you. Actually, it was Draco who summoned you.”

“Draco? But Capricorn said the Spirit King summoned me.”

“He did, only on the behest of Draco. Draco mentioned something about a pact with the first people to wield the powers of the stars. Even I was not aware of it at first.”

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter after I learned of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington's death. Truth to be told, it broke my heart. I grew up listening to them and their songs spoke to me in some levels. Obviously not the addiction part but the depression and feelings of inadequacy and fighting to hold on and surviving. Most of all, surviving everyday. I guess his suicide triggered something in me. I remembered the reason why I started writing fanfics, it was to survive my petty daily challenges. It was to put into words what my mind thought of anytime I watched a movie, a cartoon, a series, anime, or even read a book or manga. Writing helped me survive everyday. Not only did I write fanfic, I wrote poetry and blog posts and random little snippets of my everyday life and thoughts.  
> To my readers who are going through the same battle, just hold on, love. Hold on and never let go. If you need to talk and do not want to see a therapist, send me a message. It may take a few days for me to respond but always know that someone cares. Thank you, my dears. See you in the next chapter.


	11. The Origin Story

**_The Origin Story_ **

 

~ _Quick Flashback_ ~

_“Draco? But Capricorn said the Spirit King summoned me.”_

_“He did, only on the behest of Draco. Draco mentioned something about a pact with the first people to wield the powers of the stars. Even I was not aware of it at first.”_

 

\--------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ --------------------------------------

 

“A pact with my ancestors?”

“With your ancestors, the Heartfilias, and with Draco.”

“Draco?”

“Yes, Draco. He was the original… king, if you will.”

“Wait, I thought it was only the Spirit King that was… the king?”

“Well, Princess, Draco was not a king. He is a powerful dragon, and the original guardian of the stars. When the Spirit King was still mortal, he was an elder in your ancestor’s village. Draco had frequently communed with him and the priestess that will take over the care of the village. The priestess was a very powerful young maiden and spirit medium. It was through her that Draco has managed to inform them of the ambrosia of the spirits.”

“You mean, Draco, the elderly wizened spirit in purple and black robes, told the priestess and the current Spirit King about the ambrosia?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Draco had heard the priestess’ request. She wanted to save the old man who saved her and raised her as if she was his own. The original Heartfilia priestess came from a different tribe. She was an orphan, her tribe members turned her into their slave.”

“Oh…”

 

“Draco, he knows of the priestess’ plight during childhood, though he is powerless to step in and stop the abuse that happened to her, he saw to it that the elder of the nearby nomadic tribe learned of her sufferings. As I said, your ancestor was the most powerful spirit medium. But she only got that power when she was at death’s door. The poor girl was dying of starvation and exhaustion, crippled by the beatings she received, she was left by her tribespeople by the river, near drowning. It was at that moment that the elder found her, he treated her injuries and watched over her for 7 days and 7 nights. On daybreak of the 8th day, she opened her eyes. The elder was overjoyed but soon found that she did not know her name and flinched ever so easily at human contact. He had named her Heartfilia, in their dialect it meant “child of my heart”, appropriate considering he raised her as if she was his own. The elder and the tribe had decided to settle by the river and they formed a small village. The elder was patient in helping her come back to a normal, humane, society and before she reached the 1st year anniversary of her rebirth, Draco appeared to the Spirit King in a dream. Draco told him that his young charge has ascended into a higher plane during her battle with death, wherein she was more in communion with the stars. That was the only warning he received about her powers. On the eve of her rebirth, Heartfilia the orphan had gone missing only to be found the next night by the waterfall and Heartfilia the priestess was born.”

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

Loke let out a long breath as he assessed Lucy’s reaction. His beautiful master and princess had eyes wide with disbelief. A few moments after, he saw her take a deep breath and nod for him to continue, knowing her he determined that she believes that incredibly far-fetched origin story of her ancestry and powers. The lion spirit smiled tentatively and plowed on with his retelling of the age-old Heartfilia story, the origin of the celestial spirit mages.

 

“The first time she requested the spirits’ help, it was during a drought wherein their crops were dying. Heartfilia came to the river at night and called out to the stars. Aquarius had heard and decided to appear. She listened to the priestess’ story and lent her power to water the crops; the village was saved. Many instances like this happened before Draco appeared and told her to form a contract with her spirit friends. He called Aquarius and all three of them formed the first Spirit Key. Every time she called on a spirit, Draco would appear and the three of them would make the key.”

 

“Wow.” Lucy was stumped. She did not know that this was how their keys were formed. Now she recognizes the power of her bloodline, a thought formed on the tip of her tongue and as she was about to voice it, Loke cut in.

“No, Lucy, sacrificed keys cannot be recreated. Draco had exhausted that power when they tried to create his own key. Aquarius’ key will regenerate on its own time and you will find it once it is here on Earthland.”

Lucy just nodded solemnly before asking, “What do you mean Draco exhausted his power to create keys when they tried to make his own key?”

“It needs the guardian, the spirit, and the mage to create a key. A triumvirate, in a way. And since Draco is both the spirit and the guardian, the attempt to make his key failed. Thereby, Draco and the Spirit King does not have their own keys.”

“O-oh…”

 

Loke could see understanding dawn on her beautiful face. He heaves a heavy sigh and inquires if she would not mind if he continued the story. Lucy acquiesced as she settled into a more comfortable position.

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

“As I said, every now and then, Draco, Heartfilia, and another spirit will make a key. It reached a point wherein the priestess’ key collection was so vast that Draco, as representative and guardian of the spirits, discussed with Heartfilia and the then-mortal Spirit King the possibility of having spiritual members of the village help in taking care of the spirits and their keys. Both agreed, thinking it was safer for their beloved spirits. At this time, the elder of the village was getting weak and becoming sickly. Draco and Heartfilia wanted him to have at least one key but the elder refused, stating that he cannot possible take care of a spirit when he can no longer take care of himself. Both of them understood his concerns but it broke their hearts, Draco cared for the old man whom he considered a friend while Heartfilia loved him as a father.

“When it became apparent that it won’t be long before the old man would pass away, the priestess started searching for ways to extend and make his life better. Draco learned about this and offered her a one-time solution.”

 

“The ambrosia…” Lucy said, realizing where this story went.

“Yes, Princess, he told her of the ambrosia. Heartfilia went in search of the ingredients, and when she succeeded, she immediately ran back to her foster father.”

“Then he drank the ambrosia and turned into the Spirit King?”

“Oh, no. He refused. He said he was happy that she loved him so much that she wanted to spend more time with him. But he said he was tired and would have wanted to rest.”

“Then, how did he become the Spirit King?”

“In her frustration, Heartfilia drank the ambrosia. Draco appeared only to find her gasping on her last breath. Apparently, the ambrosia can only be drank by spirits or those on their death beds. The old man was distraught that his daughter would die before him, he asked Draco to help her. Draco, bound by laws of the celestial realm, had agreed in exchange that she must take a celestial form. The man argued that she was too young, the dragon offered a solution.” Loke took a deep breath.

“That solution is that someone else must take her place?” Lucy inquired, already knowing the answer.

“Indeed.” Loke sighed and went on, “The priestess lived in exchange for the old man’s soul. Unknown to them, in that exchange, the old man acquired the priestess’ power before he passed on. Thus, he became the Spirit King while Heartfilia lost the power to command all celestial spirits. She can only call on them with a celestial key; she became a Holder-type mage.”

“Okay… I get that part. But what about the pact?”

“The pact. When Heartfilia came to, Spirit King was ascending. Desperate, she called out a promise that if not her, surely one of her descendants will join her father and Draco in the realm.”

 

Loke let the information sink in. Lucy was thoughtful for long time, digesting the origin story and the pact. She heaved a sigh and gave Loke a small smile.

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

“Then, the pact could be honored, right? The Spirit King and Draco will get the ambrosia and in exchange, instead of you being mortal, I will become a Spirit. They can grant you your wish of being with me and the millenia-old promise will be fulfilled.”

“No, Lucy, Princess. I can’t let you sacrifice your mortality for my selfishness. Your family is here. Fairy Tail, the guild, and your friends. Our comrades. I won’t give you the difficult decision in choosing between us.”

“So your brilliant plan was to become mortal?” Lucy gave an unladylike snort, “No offense, Loke, but that was stupid. The lion can’t leave the Zodiacs. But I can leave Fairy Tail. They will understand, Loke. They’ll be sad but they will see that me becoming a celestial spirit will make me happy.”

“What do you mean, Lucy?”

“Loke, I love you. I am thankful that you have helped me through all these years. And though I deny it often, I have fallen for you. Yes, I was jealous of Cana and you when you went to the bars. And I am always worried for you whenever we go on our missions. Ridiculous as it may seem, considering you are immortal and I’m not, I always worry about you getting hurt and not finding your way back to me. When you go to the spirit world to recuperate, I can’t go with you. I can’t stay with you to watch over you. I love you and I want to be with you, stupid lion.”

 

Loke was taken aback by her confession. Oh, how he always wished and prayed that his master will love him back but he never thought it would happen. They were bound by a contract, and Lucy like all celestial mages honored their contracts. The leader of the Twelve Zodiacs was beyond ecstatic. He was shocked beyond words.

 

“Loke?” Lucy waved a hand in front of him, “I think I broke my lion…” Lucy giggled at the flabbergasted spirit. She gave him a small slap on the cheek to rouse him.

Loke snapped to attention and enveloped the blonde mage in a hug. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”

Loke repeatedly murmured against her ear. Lucy tightened her hold on him and answered, “I love you too.”

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  A/N: (1) I don’t think Heartfilia really means that. I don’t know what it means. I just made that definition up since it would fit the story. (2) I don’t think Aquarius would be the first key, but it strengthens the bond between the Heartfilias and the mermaid. I think that having three powerful beings make the key is appropriate. In ancient Rome, a triumvirate is three powerful men involved in decision-making; in the Bible, they have the holy trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; there are three sides to a triangle; there is past, present, and future. Three is just a very good number to fit this story. (3) Seven. Seven days and seven nights. To be honest, I just like the number seven. But looking at history, seven is significant. Seven days in a week, seven colors in a rainbow, seven stars in the big dipper. A lot of people believe in Lucky Seven. Seven is also a good fit in my story, or maybe I’m just trying to fit it in since I like it. Kidding! Seven just fits the story. (4) Oh, confession! (5) Draco, Spirit King, and Heartfilia. Another trinity, another triumvirate. Are you as excited as I am for the end?


	12. Until We Meet Again

**_Until We Meet Again_ **

 

~ _Quick Flashback_ ~

_“Loke?” Lucy waved a hand in front of him, “I think I broke my lion…” Lucy giggled at the flabbergasted spirit. She gave him a small slap on the cheek to rouse him._

_Loke snapped to attention and enveloped the blonde mage in a hug. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”_

_Loke repeatedly murmured against her ear. Lucy tightened her hold on him and answered, “I love you too.”_

 

\--------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ --------------------------------------

 

The pair had decided to give themselves a month to arrange Lucy’s affairs. She will sell off her belongings and pay her rent, and on the last week of the month they will inform the guild. Of course, Lucy had decided it was best to inform Levy and Master Makarov of her decision. She trusts that they will keep her decision a secret until she finally informs the rest of the guild.

 

The day after learning her ancestor’s origin, Lucy decided to stay home with Loke. Though the lion spirit had to go back to the celestial realm for a few hours to meet with the Spirit King and his council, to inform them of Lucy’s decision. Hearing that the blonde mage will be joining their ranks, Draco and the Spirit King were ecstatic. Three thousand years have passed since their trinity was last complete. Though several members of the Heartfilia clan were powerful, namely Anna and Layla, they both were not the promised descendant. Lucy, though a bit vain she may be, was more powerful than both mages combined. Closing the eclipse gate with Yukino was no small feat, after all Yukino was not as powerful as Lucy. And she has strived more than once to save celestial spirits from abusive masters and dying by themselves.

 

“Wonderful news, Leo,” Draco smiled serenely at the lion spirit.

“Truly wonderful, my old friend is joining us.”

“A month, then, our triad will be united once again.”

“Summon her spirits, Leo, we have much to discuss,” the Spirit King instructed the leader of the Zodiacs.

“My King,” Loke bowed to the Spirit King, “Master Draco,” and to the dragon spirit respectfully as he took a step back and pivoted on his heels. Swiftly leaving the council chamber, he requested for all Lucy’s golden and silver key spirits to gather.

 

The two old celestial spirits had ordered to prepare the third palace and the third throne, they know that when Lucy transcends to the celestial realm she will be as powerful as them. They meeting they called for with the Twelve Zodiacs and the rest of silver keys in Lucy’s possession, was to discuss the future wherein they will be with other masters as the Fairy Tail mage will soon become a spirit herself. The final decision was that the keys in Lucy’s possession will rest for half a century before resurfacing in Earthland, to be found by new celestial spirit mages that will hopefully treasure them as Lucy did.

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

All these meetings and formalities attended by Loke lasted a week before he is sent back to Lucy. Back in Earthland, 3 hours have passed and Lucy has finished sorting the clothes she would keep until the end of the month and those she would sell. Loke and Lucy had lunch and finished the inventory of her place, most furniture and decor were part of the apartment or replacements of those broken by the guild members.

 

At dinner, Loke informed Lucy of the spirits’ decision regarding their keys. The mage felt a bit dejected that she could not pass her keys to Yukino but understood the reasoning behind the decision. She felt a bit relieved, though, that she could spend half a century still with her beloved friends in the celestial realm. She was glad that they did not felt abandonment at her choice to become a spirit herself.

 

The following day found Lucy and Loke at the guild, she met with Master Makarov and Levy at once. In his office, the master cast a spell to prevent the dragon slayers’ eavesdropping. Once the spell was cast, Lucy disclosed her decision with Loke standing sentinel at her side. Levy was saddened by her decision but found resolve to voice her support. Master Makarov, though heart heavy with the knowledge, understood and wished her well in her next adventure in her soon-to-be-immortal existence. They both, however, extracted a promise from Lucy and Loke that they will visit the guild; after all, they will remain Fairy Tail mages until time ends or the guild no longer exists. The lion spirit informed them that after the blonde mage’s ascent to the celestial realm, she would need a year’s time in Earthland before she gains complete control over her powers thereby prohibiting her from opening a gate into the world below the heavens. The old master and the bookworm nodded solemnly and vowed to wait for her return.

 

“Thank you very much, Master, Levy, I know it will be hard to keep this a secret but I would really appreciate it if you let me break the news to the guild. It will be hard to say good bye to them.”

“We understand, child. When do you leave?”

“About a month from now, master. We’ll tell the guild a week before that.”

“I hate that you have to leave, Lu-chan, but I wish for your happiness. No matter what, I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you, Levy-chan.”

 

\------------------------------- --------------------------

 

Once Levy and Lucy left the master’s sanctuary to join the boisterous guild, Cana and Lisanna had dragged them immediately to a table where they discussed the progress between the ginger-haired spirit and the blonde mage. Lucy, red to the tips of her ears, admitted that both have confessed to each other. Elated, the females squealed their congratulations and proceeded to interrogate as to how far the new couple have progressed. The blonde mage adamantly denied anything intimate but admitted that they have shared a kiss or two after their confession. She insisted that they have decided to take it slow. It took a few more minutes of denials and insistence on taking things slow until the group relented and moved on to other topics.

 

“So, Levy, care to tell us about the ring on your finger?” Cana teased as she hooked an arm around the bluenette’s shoulders.

“C-cana!” Levy squeaked, turning bright red.

“Are you engaged to Gajeel now?” Lisanna was visibly bouncing with excitement, as Levy sent pleading looks over to her best friend and co-bookworm.

Cana and Lisanna caught the look and turned their attention to Lucy. The blonde shrugged and smiled apologetically at Levy. Apparently not willing to divulge any information. The script mage sighed and informed both mages about her recent nuptials.

“Oh, congratulations, Levy!” the take-over mage squealed as she hugged the petite female, “Tell us about it.”

“Awesome! Nice one, Levy!” Cana grinned as she tightened her hold on the mage.

“Thank you. It was a mutual decision on our part. Gajeel and I decided that after living together for a year, it was time to take the next step. We got married a few days ago with Pantherlily and Lucy standing as our witnesses and Master Makarov officiating. We had a simple ceremony. As we had just finished renovating our home, we didn’t have enough funds for a big wedding.”

“Oh, you know the guild would be more than happy to help you out.” Lisanna stated.

“We do, Lisa-chan. Master actually offered to shoulder our wedding expenses but we refused. We were grateful but we wanted it to be an intimate ceremony. Gajeel and I did discuss that we will hold another wedding for the whole guild to attend, but we will do it sometime next year. We promised each other that we’ll attempt to qualify again for the S-class trial before we do the big wedding,” the script mage informed them.

“Well then, we better make sure you guys do a lot of A-class and B-class jobs to qualify for the S-class trial,” the brunette card mage ruffled Levy’s blue hair affectionately.

 

The group continued to chat animatedly until Natsu and Gajeel decided to join them. Shortly after, Cana excused herself to find more booze and Lucy left to inform her landlady that she’ll be moving out in a month’s time. Dinner came around and found Loke and Lucy cooking together. After a simple but scrumptious meal of grilled chicken and rocket salad, they sat at the couch with a bottle of red wine uncorked. The pair told each other of their day with the guild. Lucy told him how Cana and Lisanna learned about Levy’s wedding to Gajeel while Loke told her how Natsu callously announced the change in Levy and Gajeel’s scents.

 

“Natsu’s still as dense and careless as before,” Lucy snorted and wondered how her destructive best friend will fare if Gajeel did the same thing to him. Shortly before 11, Lucy yawned and was ushered to bed by her loving lion spirit. The blonde mage requested for the lion spirit to stay until she fell asleep and he acquiesced. Once he was sure that his master and love of his eternal life has fallen asleep, Loke kissed her forehead and slipped out of bed, returning once again to his own realm.

 

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Weeks passed and the day to inform the guild came. Loke and Lucy found themselves again inside the master’s office with Levy in tow. Lucy has assured them that she has not changed her mind and both assured her that they still support her decision. The blonde and the bluenette held arms as they left the office followed by the lion spirit and Master Makarov. As per usual guild antics, Gray and Natsu were fighting while Erza ate her cake. Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Cana were drinking from their tankards while Happy attempted to woo Charle with fish. Wendy smiling fondly as she and Romeo played with little Asuka. Lisanna was behind the bar helping Mirajane while Elfman kept yelling ‘Man’. The Raijinshuu and Laxus discussing their next job, and the rest of the guild boisterous and happy.

 

Master Makarov stood in the middle of the guild’s stage while the three stayed behind him. Lucy, standing in the middle, held both Levy and Loke’s hands. She gave them a gentle squeeze and they murmured reassurances to her. The guild master tapped his staff getting the attention of their family. Seconds later, the guild sat silently awaiting the announcement.

 

“My children, a few weeks ago, I learned of a sad yet happy and very difficult decision made by one of us,” Master Makarov announced, “Sad in a sense that we will not see them for a while but ultimately, it is a happy decision for their future. Know that this past weeks has been a struggle for all of us involved. It was hard to keep quiet and continue smiling knowing what we know. But I pray that we will all continue to support them. Lucy, Loke…”

 

The guild broke out in hushed conversations as the celestial spirit mage and the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs stepped forward while Master Makarov joined Levy behind them. Lucy and Loke bowed respectfully towards the guild master before addressing the crowd.

 

“I-I,” Lucy stuttered, Loke gave her a gentle smile and squeezed her hand in reassurance. The blonde mage took a deep breath before looking up and meeting the eyes of their family.

“It has been years since I joined Fairy Tail. I am grateful to every one of you for welcoming me into the family, most especially Natsu and Happy who brought me here,” Lucy smiled as she found the eyes of the fire dragon slayer and the blue exceed.

 

“These past few weeks, I learned of a promise from a time long ago. You all know that Loke and I have finally confessed and accepted each other’s affection. Cana, Natsu, Levy, and Lisanna know the struggles he went through to prove his loyalty and love to me. In doing so, we both learned of the history of my ancestor’s powers. My mother, Layla, and the dragon slayers’ tutor, Miss Anna, are proof of the Heartfilia power. Loke had requested from the Spirit King to relinquish his status as celestial spirit,” the guild gave a collective gasp but Lucy plowed on.

“Unfortunately, they had refused his request due to the chaos that will follow should the Leader of the Twelve Zodiacs, Leo, vanish.” Both spirit and mage heard angry whispers that slowly escalated. Master Makarov called the guild to order and had Lucy continue.

“However, Draco, one of the strongest celestial spirits, and member of the king’s council had reminded the Spirit King of the promise long ago. It was a promise between my ancestor, the first celestial spirit mage, and both Draco and the Spirit King. This promise gives Loke and myself a chance to be together, but in doing so…” Lucy trailed off and Loke stepped in.

“Once the promise if fulfilled, Lucy will no longer be of Earthland. She will become a member of the celestial realm.”

Shocked gasps followed by objections to Lucy leaving. Makarov and Erza failing to hush the outbreak, Natsu shouting angrily that there should be another way where Lucy won’t leave their family.

 

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!” The guild instantly silenced, Levy huffed and puffed after shouting. “Just listen to them, please! The decision has been made and both Master and I fully support them.” Levy smiled at the pair and gestured for them to continue.

Lucy smiled and blew a kiss to Levy as Loke tried to hide his laughter. “Thank you, Levy-chan,” Lucy turned back to the guild and continued her announcement.

“As Loke said, I will leave Earthland behind and join him in the celestial realm. I’m not gonna die, Natsu, Happy, so stop crying,” the blonde mage assured them.

“In a week’s time, as discussed with Draco and the Spirit King, I will ascend as a celestial spirit. Draco told me, ‘On the seventh night of the seventh month while the moon is shadowed and the stars shine proudly, the old guardian and the king shall reunite with the mage and the triumvirate will be once again. Three powerful forces shall govern the heavens and peace will reign among the stars.’ That was the promise and prophecy my ancestor, the first Heartfilia, made.” Lucy breathed a sigh of relief after her long speech.

 

“Lucy, will be living in the celestial realm thereafter but we can always come back and visit,” Loke announced and the guild cheered. “However, since Lucy will be as powerful as Draco and the Spirit King, it will take a year in Earthland time for her to get used to her powers and open a celestial gate. I, myself, and Caprico will act as her messenger during the year she is not able to visit. Unlike me, the rest of her spirits cannot visit at that time as they need a tether, or anchor, in this world. All her keys will vanish with us until the time is right to release them back to Earthland. After her training period, Lucy will be able to bring with her any other celestial spirit. That is the power she, Draco, and the Spirit King share.”

 

“I will not have a key, like the Spirit King and Draco, as our powers far exceed those of the golden keys. But I can still visit by opening my own gate. Just be patient and wait for me. I’ll come back home to Fairy Tail and see everyone again,” Lucy grinned. The guild, though saddened by her impending departure, promised to wait for her and send her letters. After congratulations and well-wishes were given to the couple with several hugs and teasings, Mirajane and Erza commandeered the guild hall and had everyone prepare for a farewell party for their favorite celestial spirit mage. The day passed and Mirajane announced that the farewell party will be held the day before she leaves. The only request the guild had was that Lucy do her ascension ceremony in the guild’s garden by the pool. Of course, Lucy was happy that they all wished to attend her ceremony and agreed to their request.

 

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The week passed and the party was as lively as any other Fairy Tail party. Reedus had given Lucy a sketch of the whole family that she can bring into the celestial realm. Lucy went to each member one by one and thanked them for a specific thing she remembered. Giving them a warm embrace and genuine smile, she each bid them good bye. When it came to Team Natsu, tears were shed but Lucy promised them that when she gets back, she will join them for a job. The blonde mage her best bookworm friend that she expects to be the godmother of any child Gajeel and her would have. Levy smiled and told her that when she comes back, she will still be her maid of honor in their wedding. Master Makarov held her tightly and wished her well. The first guild master, Mavis Vermillion, also gave her blessings and well-wishes to Lucy. The night was full of love and laughter.

 

On the afternoon of her ascension, Loke brought back a ceremonial attire from the celestial realm specifically tailored for her. An elegant shade of cherry blossom, with a square neckline and billowing lace sleeves and silk A-line skirt trailing the floor; matched with a simple pair of white flats. Cancer styled her hair in loose plait intertwined with a strand of pearls. Her face void of make-up except for the pale pink lipstick she was wearing. All commented on how beautiful she looked. Loke took her hand and escorted her to the garden.

“Beautiful, Lucy. Simply beautiful.”

“Thank you, Loke.”

 

When the stars were shining brightly, Draco and the Spirit King appeared before them in their humanoid form and size. They greeted Lucy and the rest of Fairy Tail before proceeding with the ceremony. Loke said good bye to the guild and said that he will be back once Lucy has been settled in the realm.

 

Standing in a triangle with Lucy at the front, they chanted ancient words. Lucy, with her eyes closed, held her keys in front of her, swathed in a royal blue silk cloth. Each of the keys shot up to sky joining their respective constellations. Her whole being started glowing while she floated a few inches above ground. When Draco and the Spirit King finished their chant, they called for Lucy to open her eyes which revealed them aglow with seven stars in each of her eyes. Lucy smiled and embraced Draco and the Spirit King. She then turned to her comrades and said her farewells.

 

Erza transforming into her ceremonial farewell armor called out, “Lucy,” as Natsu, Levy, and Gray appeared behind her. “There are three rules to anyone who leaves Fairy Tail. Engrave them in your heart.”

Levy stepped forward just as the rest of the guild made their appearance, “One, you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to anyone as long as you live.”

“Two,” Gray walked towards the middle of Levy and Erza, “You must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain.”

Natsu stepped to Erza’s left and gave her his signature toothy grin, “Three, though our paths have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might; you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant; and, you must never forget about the friends who loved you.”

Lucy, with tears in her eyes, smiled at her family, “I will. Thank you, everyone!”

 

Joining hands with the powerful guardian and the king, the trinity flew to the sky before vanishing in a flash of light. Fairy Tail sent her off with tears in their eyes and joy in their hearts.

 

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**Epilogue: _Seven months later_**

_Fairy Tail was as loud and wild as ever, Team Natsu just returned from a month- long job and all were celebrating._

_“Mira-nee! Laki! We got another order of shepard’s pie and apple tea for Team Shadow Gear.”_

_“Lisanna! Can you take this round of beers to Macao and Wakaba?”_

_“Master! Cana! Stop drinking from the beer taps!”_

_“Man!!!”_

_“Stop shouting ‘man’ for goodness’ sake!”_

_“Laxus! Gildarts! Fight me! I can take both of you on!”_

_“Shut up, brat!”_

_“It’s too early in the morning for this noise, Natsu.”_

_“Gray-sama!”_

_“Gray, your naked again.”_

_“Oh, shoot!”_

_The guild doors burst open and a cheery voice called out, “I’m home!”_

_“Lu-chan?!”_

_“Lucy-san!”_

_“Luuuuushiiii!”_

_“Lucy!”_

_“Welcome back, dear child,” Master Makarov and Mavis grinned proudly. Their family is complete once again._

_~ **The End** ~_

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  A/N 1: (1) Sorry to all Yukino fans! Personally, I think Yukino is amazing. But for my story to work, she had to be powered down. I love you, Yukino, I’m sorry! (2) I think that Levy will respect Lucy’s wish and withhold the information from Gajeel no matter how much she loves him. After all, Lucy is important to her too and Gajeel understands that. (3) Let’s be honest, all the furniture in Lucy’s apartment had to have been replaced already. After all the times Team Natsu and other guild members crashed in her place, it’s impossible that all original furniture would be intact. Except, maybe, the bed. (4) As I said in the previous chapter, the numbers 3 and 7 had significant roles to play in my story. I love the idea of Lucy being as powerful or even stronger than her celestial spirits. (5) I think it’s perfect that Gajeel and Levy will cohabitate first then have a civil wedding. Also, it’s not a longshot that only Lily and Lucy will be present at the civil wedding; they are the best friends after all. Then after a few months, they’ll have a church wedding with the whole guild invited. Only, since in this story, Lucy is leaving for a year thereby, Levy will delay her church wedding to have Lucy standing beside her as maid of honor. That’s how I see their friendship. Though I would have loved Emma to be existing already during the church wedding, I pictured her more as a toddler (2-3 years old) or a child (specifically between 6-8 years old) in a flower girl dress walking down the aisle. So maybe I’ll do that if I decide to do a LoLu or NaLu wedding? Who knows? (6) Lucy’s ceremonial attire, IMO, was simple yet elegant. Only her pink lipstick and a strand of pearls in her hair. Definitely a far cry from her previous heiress style, and not so simple or provocative as her usual FT clothing. (7) Lucy was given the farewell ceremony because she was going to be gone at least a year, so technically she is leaving the guild. However, since Lucy is very powerful so she completed her training in seven months. Isn’t it amazing? And such a wonderful surprise!
> 
>  
> 
> A/N 2: To be honest, I didn’t know at first how this story would progress, nor how it would specifically end. All I knew was that a LoLu plot bunny has taken over my mind all those years ago. As I struggled with depression, I also struggled in writing the story. I believe my writer’s block came from my fear of failure and disappointments. So, I wrote and revised and deleted and re-wrote and agonized over how people will react to the story. And then, during the end of July, I remembered that when I started writing fanfiction, it wasn’t because I wanted people to read and like it. It was because I had thought of something in the cartoon or the anime or the manga that I had wanted to happen. At one point in my life, I also wanted Dramione to happen, so I wrote about it. **TBH, I still ship Dramione** This is how I finished chapter 10 after months of struggling. And on that same day, I finished chapter 11 and started writing chapter 12. Finally, here we are, a finished FT fanfic. Thank you for your love and support for A Spirit’s Love. See you guys!


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